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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Ind. Courts - Attorney sees opportunity and seizes it

Dionne Waugh of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports today:

When Allen County court officials discussed banning cell phones in the courts, several people said someone would probably start standing outside the buildings and offer to hold people’s phones for a fee.

Well, two months after the county enacted its ban on electronic devices in court facilities, someone has.

Local attorney Sam Bolinger, 48, applied for and received a transient merchant’s permit about two weeks ago from the city. This will allow him to set up a storage cart and charge money for holding cell phones and electronic storage devices outside the Allen County Courthouse.

“I just saw an opportunity – I think. I’ll find out – to solve an issue for everybody,” he said, “and help those going in and out of the building.”

After getting the permit approved, Bolinger hired a welder to design and build the cart, which began this week. Although he won’t personally be standing outside the courthouse, he has hired five employees and plans to be in business at Berry and Calhoun streets by the end of the month.

The employees, who will be paid above minimum wage, have sales and marketing experience and have been through a criminal background check, he said.

They will wear yellow uniforms and caps – the same color as the cart – and will have photo identification badges.

More from the lengthy story:
Officials banned the devices, they said, because they were disruptive and a security concern when people took pictures and video of witnesses, jurors and attorneys in the courtrooms. Cameras are not allowed in Indiana courtrooms. Attorneys and county employees with proper identification are not subject to the ban.

Despite numerous media reports at the beginning of the year, people are still bringing phones to the courthouse. Court security officer Randy Ulrich said they see 150 to 200 people a day attempt to bring a banned electronic device inside. The main courthouse has about 1,500 visitors a day.

When people realize they can’t bring them in, they either leave or hide them in nearby bushes, planters, alleyways, radiator grates or garbage, court officials said. One person even threw a cell phone away in a courthouse trash can.

But some court officials aren’t sure Bolinger’s plan is a good idea.

They question whether someone who rides the bus or gets dropped off for court will have the money to pay to store a phone and whether people will walk to Bolinger’s stand rather than just going back to their car.

“It’s not well thought out,” Ulrich said.

Sour grapes?

Here is a list of earlier ILB entries on court cell phone bans.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 6, 2007 09:58 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts