Hello,
I am Shelly Knopf and I am a retired Court Administrator for the Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, Kentucky. As the Court Administrator, I worked for 13 criminal and civil trial court judges. During my 22-year career with the Kentucky Court of Justice, I worked in limited jurisdiction, general jurisdiction, and appellate courts. Throughout this time, Kentucky utilized A/V recording in all court proceedings, which now encompass over 400 courtrooms.
I now work with JAVS, the digital recording company that supports Kentucky's 400 courtrooms along with thousands of other courtrooms around the world. As the Court Administrator, I had a close working relationship with the JAVS owners and staff. I truly respected their work ethic and commitment to the courts. The Judges and Court Administrators in Kentucky strongly believe that having an audio/video record of every proceeding grants access to justice and transparency to all the citizens of our state.
The record of a trial court proceeding is essential to the working of our judiciary. There can be no meaningful right of appellate review without an accurate trial record. And there is no argument that a quality audio recording provides a verbatim account of what was stated in a trial proceeding. A/V recording is the most effective way to obtain a clear, accurate, and verbatim record. The National Center for State Courts encourages the courts to utilize audio video in the article Making the Record Utilizing Digital Electronic Recording.
Digital recorders have visual indicators on the microphones, and the software allows everyone in the room to know the system is in record mode. The audio mixer has special algorithms that monitor speech and background noise in the room and make smart adjustments to nullify the background noise and capture only the spoken word.
Recording audio on multiple channels makes the transcribing process easier and more accurate for a court reporter. For example, microphones can be dedicated to the judge, witness, attorneys, and a video conference unit, creating multiple channels. During transcription, the microphones can be isolated to listen to each channel individually, allowing the reporter to capture every word. This way, you won't have to utilize time and resources to transcribe a hearing if it is not appealed. And, digital copies of the record cost as little as $20!
For courts to be fiscally responsible, they must look at preserving the court record with a more secure and economical means. Read the National Court Reporter's Associations Court Reporter Industry Outlook, presented by Ducker Worldwide, to learn more about the projected shortage of court reporters in 2018.
I would love the opportunity to speak with you about how JAVS solutions can fit in your courtroom and extend the offer for a complimentary technology consultation. To learn more, please fill out the form on this page.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Shelly H. Knopf | National Court Liaison
Justice AV Solutions | 13020 Middletown Industrial Blvd. | Louisville, KY 40223
Cell: 502.550.3957