BEAUMONT — The Jefferson Commissioners heard a presentation from Tyler Technologies in hopes of streamlining the county’s legal paperwork.

Tyler Technologies Account Executive Steven Stehling said the multi-million dollar proposal would allow the county to more effectively run its legal department by allowing law enforcement and other county employees to gather and disseminate information on a particular case or individual.

Stehling praised the county’s Information Technology Department for staying current on the latest advancements.

“This really started getting popular about seven years ago,” Stehling said. “Judges were able to sign documents remotely. If a judge was at a conference, the judge could review the document and sign it while they were at the conference. You didn’t have to wait for them to come back. We’re seeing technology has been able to speed up cases. Cases are able to flow faster through the system.”

Stehling said more counties want to be able to send text reminders to people who have an upcoming court date.

“Technology is rapidly coming into the court system,” he said. “It’s not just the courts. The [District Attorneys] office, discovery, the jail — is using biometrics to make sure they have the right person they are letting out of jail. People have online dispute resolutions where people can negotiate the simple cases online instead of clogging up the justice courts. Everyone is asking for more and more technology. The only thing that is hard to keep up with is demand.”

Stehling said in-house developed software is no longer a viable option and pointed to Harris County as one example.

“We told them to let Tyler do the end-of-month balancing,” he said. “The IT should be focused on the local needs and lets the vendor handle the statewide needs.”

County elected officials attended the presentation to ask questions and give their opinions on the company and the proposal.

Jefferson County Precinct 1 Constable Jevonne Pollard said she liked the proposal.

“I saw Tyler Technologies first hand in January,” she said. “The data they were able to take and provide I think is paramount as far as saving money and being more efficient. I believe Tyler is a good product. The constables I talked to in North Texas, East Texas and Harris County have all had good things to say about them.”

The commissioners will independently review the company before voting or making any decision regarding a contract with Tyler Technologies.\

 

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