by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Callers may have been surprised to dial directly to Public Defender Matt Shirk about three months ago, but Shirk answering phone calls wasn’t the result of budget cutbacks. He was looking to improve how the office functions and his latest improvement was launched last week.
When he took office in January after the November election, Shirk wanted to know what it felt like to do every job in the Public Defender’s Office. Answering phone calls not only allowed him to find out about the job, but he also developed a better understanding of customer needs.
“When people called in, they normally wanted two pieces of information,” said Shirk. “They wanted to know when their, or their loved one’s, court date was and the name of the attorney representing them.”
The Public Defender’s Office has developed its own case tracking system (CTS) to help the public access the information in an efficient manner around the clock. It also frees up staff to help callers who need more than basic information. By logging on to www.mattshirkpublicdefender.com, and entering a name into the system the public can find out court dates, the names of the public defender and prosecutor, which judge is handling the case and the bond amount.
Shirk researched public defender Web sites throughout the state, but couldn’t find any sites that offered what his office is now capable of providing.
“Matt has talked about using technology to make the office more efficient since he took office,” said Matt Bisbee, public information officer for the Public Defender. “This is a great tool.”
Shirk worked with Bisbee and Joe Frasier, manager of information technology for the office, to develop the system.
The Web site can also help people who are not clients of the Public Defender’s Office. Employment applications are available on the site and members of the public who might need the help of the Public Defender can download an application for criminal indigent status. Legal lingo can also be difficult to understand for the lay person, so a glossary of terms is also available on the site.
356-2466