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B. Ferguson Court Practices
1. Make Municipal Court Processes More Transparent
Restoring the legitimacy of the municipal justice system requires increased transparency regarding court operations to allow the public to assess whether the court is operating in a fair manner. The municipal court should:
- Make public–through a variety of means, including prominent display on the City, police, and municipal court web pages–all court-related fines, fees, and bond amounts, and a description of the municipal court payment process, including court dates, payment options, and potential consequences for non-payment or missed court dates;
- Create, adopt, and make public written procedures for all court operations;
- Collect all orders currently in effect and make those orders accessible to the public, including by posting any such materials on the City, police, and municipal court web pages. Make public all new court orders and directives as they are issued;
- Initiate a public education campaign to ensure individuals can have an accurate and complete understanding of how Ferguson's municipal court operates, including that appearance in court without ability to pay an owed fine will not result in arrest;
- Provide broadly available information to individuals regarding low-cost or cost-free legal assistance;
- Enhance public reporting by ensuring data provided to the Missouri Courts Administrator is accurate, and by making that and additional data available on City and court websites, including monthly reports indicating:
- The number of warrants issued and currently outstanding;
- The number of cases heard during the previous month;
- The amount of fines imposed and collected, broken down by offense, including by race;
- Data regarding the number of Missouri Department of Revenue license suspensions initiated by the court and the number of compliance letters enabling license reinstatement issued by the court.
- Revise the municipal court website to enable these recommendations to be fully implemented.
2. Provide Complete and Accurate Information to a Person Charged with a Municipal Violation
In addition to making its processes more transparent to the public, the court should ensure that those with cases pending before the court are provided with adequate and reliable information about their case. The municipal court, in collaboration with the Patrol Division, should:
- Ensure all FPD citations, summonses, and arrests are accompanied by sufficient, detailed information about the recipient's rights and responsibilities, including:
- The specific municipal violation charged;
- A person's options for addressing the charge, including whether in-person appearance is required or if alternative methods, including online payment, are available, and information regarding all pending deadlines;
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