The following is a news release from Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. It closes with links to the documents pictured here.
COURT ADOPTS RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Pittsburgh, PA – The Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Criminal Division announces the adoption of a uniform policy governing the use of electronic devices on the 3rd and 5th floors of the Allegheny County Courthouse. This policy, which becomes effective on December 3, 2007, applies to all persons and is to be enforced by the Sheriff of Allegheny County.
In accord with the mandates of Rule 112 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, this resolution establishes a uniform policy pertaining to the possession of electronic devices in the Court and its environs. The application and enforcement of the Order of Court extend to all occupants of the Courthouse. The Judges of the Criminal Division of the Court of Common Pleas regard this policy as striking an appropriate balance between furthering the safety of all persons involved in criminal court activity and maintaining convenient public access to the Court by the least restrictive means.
The Resolution of the Judges of the Criminal Division has been adopted to protect the integrity of judicial proceedings while facilitating the legitimate use of electronic devices. As a convenience to persons possessing such devices, electronic devices may be brought into the Allegheny County Courthouse subject to routine security screening. However, the use of electronic devices is limited by the terms of the Court’s order.
A copy of the Court’s Order and Confiscation Policy is attached.
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2 comments:
So, are they providing lockers for cell phones and PDA's? I would have assumed cameras were fairly close to verbotten long ago and I doubt anyone uses PDA's anymore. But it would be hard to tell when anyone was taking a picture with one of the ubiquitous camera-equipped cell phones. Still, I would think providing a locker, even if it were no bigger than 6 inches x 6 inches x 1 foot, would be the least the Criminal Division could do, in light of this new restriction.
My understanding is that you can keep possession of your electronic device, so long as you do not violate the court order. I'm off work this week, and haven't been down to the courthouse.
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