Leon County Commission Chairman Christian Caban has called a special meeting of the Board of County Commissioners for Monday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. to address the recent failure of the county’s Justice Information System and consider steps aimed at preventing similar problems in the future.
In an Aug. 28 letter to commissioners, County Administrator Vince Long and County Attorney Chasity O’Steen, Caban described the incident as a “rare but significant operational breakdown” for Leon County government.
The Justice Information System supports operations involving the courts and criminal justice agencies. Caban said failures involving such a critical system can extend beyond technology problems and affect residents, criminal justice partners and public confidence in county government.
“The purpose of this meeting will be to receive a comprehensive update on the current status of the Justice Information System,” Caban wrote. The meeting will also examine the circumstances surrounding the failures, their impacts and the steps being taken to restore reliable operations.
Caban also plans to ask commissioners to consider authorizing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Judicial Information Technology Services.
According to the chairman, an RFQ would allow the county to evaluate whether additional outside expertise and resources are needed to provide reliable, secure and resilient technology systems for the courts and other criminal justice agencies.
Caban indicated the review should go beyond simply restoring the system to its previous condition. He said the county should determine what went wrong, establish accountability and identify technology, expertise and safeguards needed to prevent another failure.
“Leon County will own what is ours to own,” Caban wrote, adding that county officials will determine what happened, correct the problems and “hold the appropriate parties accountable.”
The special meeting comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Justice Information System failure and its effects on local court operations. Commissioners are expected to receive more detailed information Monday about the cause and scope of the problems, the recovery effort and possible changes to the county’s approach to judicial information technology.
The special Leon County Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.