Officers

request be on the agenda for next month’s Quorum Court meeting. The justices of the peace voted to place the item on the November agenda.

The justices of the peace voted to provide $26,000 to County Circuit Judge Brad Karren to improve the audio equipment for him to hold hearings by video. Karren said attorneys and inmates have difficulty hearing when he’s holding hearings by video at the jail.

The cost of the equipment is $34,095 but Karren already has $9,000 in his technology account.

Karren said he holds more than 1,000 hearings each year from the jail, which means deputies aren’t bringing those individuals to his courtroom. “If I don’t have inmates sitting in the jury box then I don’t have their families sitting in my courtroom to see them,” he said.

Karren said the video hearings also help because of the size of his courtroom. Karren said he sometimes has 60-page dockets which means 200 to 250 people may

be scheduled to appear in his court.

Karren said the capacity for his building is 170 people and he’s violating the fire code when he holds court some days.

Karren also used the technology to hold hearings with federal prisoners and people in prisons in other states.

Edwards said he supports Karren using the technology and he wanted to encourage the other judges to use the technology to help when it comes to transporting prisoners and limiting the size of courtrooms.

Justice of the Peace Sue Anglin said she supported it and encouraged the other justices of the peace to support it. The Quorum Court will look at the issue and their next Finance Committee meeting and decide where the money will come from.

Budget hearings will continue at 6 p.m. Monday at the Committee of the Whole meeting on the third floor of the County Administration Building in downtown Bentonville.