Free wireless Internet service is now available at the Macomb County Courthouse in Mt. Clemens, according to County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh.
“Wireless Internet gives customers in the building direct access to information on a self-serve basis, helping us meet demand with shrinking resources,” she said. “With AT&T, we successfully provided wireless Internet in the jury room for years — this expands that popular service.”
Sabaugh said visitors now can perform a variety of tasks while at the courthouse, including looking up case status, confirming which judge is hearing a case and using the sheriff’s online inmate locator.
Any court visitor with a laptop or Internet-enabled phone or device may use the service, she added, and the access code and wireless Internet policy are available throughout the building.
In the future, Sabaugh said, people will also be able to use the service to pay for court costs or clerk services from anywhere in the building.
The wireless Internet access is encrypted and completely separate from the county’s computer network, ensuring data security, according to the clerk.
She said the county contracted with AT&T to provide equipment and installation at a one-time cost of $15,458 and an on-going cost of less than $2 per day.
Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Mary A. Chrzanowski said wireless Internet service “has made jury duty enjoyable and productive.”
“I am happy the county clerk partnered with the judges to provide yet another innovative service by allowing jurors access to the outside world while awaiting jury selection,” she said.
Circuit Court Judge Richard L. Caretti said the service “improves access to justice.”
“Our increasing caseload requires us to come up with innovative ways to provide services to citizens,” he added.
In addition, visitors may also view the delinquent tax property registry compiled by the Treasurer’s Office, or check the availability of a business name while waiting in line to register a business.
Paul Gieleghem, chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, said the project “is a good example of how technology is being used in an efficient fashion at a time when county resources remain at a premium.”
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