Traffic court back in session in Jefferson Parish

from the Times-Picayune

Attention, bad drivers: Traffic court back in session in Jefferson Parish
5:17 p.m.

By Matt Scallan
East Jefferson bureau

In what surely is an unwelcome sign of normalcy for some, traffic court in Jefferson Parish is back in business.

First and Second Parish courts opened Monday for the first time in five weeks, and court officials urged drivers who missed court dates because of Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuations to stop by to resolve pending cases.

"We're asking people to just come in, or if they can't come in to call us," Judge Rebecca Olivier of First Parish Court said.

Even people with outstanding warrants won't be arrested if they try to resolve their issues, said Judge Stephen Gefer of Second Parish Court.

"We've instructed our staff to work with people," he said. "We want to help anyone who is trying to do the right thing."

The district attorney's office has assigned assistants to stay in court all day to handle traffic matters, unlike the normal routine in which traffic is limited to the evening schedule.

Parish courts handle traffic and misdemeanor cases, which include first- and second-offense drunken driving, shoplifting and battery cases, as well as small civil matters.

The buildings that house First Parish Court in Metairie and Second Parish Court in Gretna suffered some storm damage. But no information in the computer systems has been lost, court administrators said.

More than 30 people waited in line at Second Parish Court on Monday. Gilbert Higgerson of Bridge City, who hoped to deal with a citation for running a stop sign, leaned against a column in the building's lobby near a sign that said "Contempt Department." He wore an expression that said he wished he were somewhere else.

"It looks like everybody went to lunch at the same time," he grumbled. "They should let them go in shifts."

Still, traffic was light in both courts. Grefer said no more of the 10 of the 120 people scheduled for Monday's docket showed up.

"That's not really surprising, given the number of people who have evacuated," he said.

Under normal circumstances, arrest warrants would be issued for the no-shows. But considering the havoc wreaked by two hurricanes, Grefer said the court is being more flexible. First Parish Court Administrator Bea Parisi said her staff re-programmed the court's computers to eliminate its normal commands to sic law enforcement agencies on no-shows.

"There are procedures in place, but we're overriding some of that because of the circumstances," she said.

That doesn't mean that the court will be so understanding forever, Olivier said.

"Anyone has a case before us really needs to come in as soon as they can," she said.