Welcome to the new fiscal year and all the changes that come with it. FY23 began July 1, 2022, and with it comes a new budget and new legislation. We should all take the time to become familiar with the changes. To help, this edition of the Judicial Branch newsletter includes an article about our new budget and a summary of the new legislation.
Not everything is new. We will also continue to rollout special projects including the distributive workload process and electronic search warrants. I am especially excited to see the results of the distributive workload process. The Fourth Judicial District was one of the pilots for this program when I was the district court administrator there and I am happy to see both the successful implementation and its replication in other districts. Having subject matter experts guide the way for creating expert teams to handle specific tasks for the entire district has shown real positive results. It also gives us the flexibility to move the work around the district if one county suddenly becomes busier than usual while another county experiences a lull in activity.
The electronic search warrant rollout is also going well with the pilot counties completed and the statewide implementation begun. It’s a much more involved process than it appears on the surface. When the Sixth Judicial District began district wide implementation June 1, it involved 21 different law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement officers in each of those agencies needed a unique assigned user account and training on how to use the system before the service could begin. For the 16 counties in the Third Judicial District, rolled out June 22, there were 55 law enforcement agencies.
The rollout of electronic warrants will continue with the First Judicial District starting July 20, the Second District on August 10, the Eighth District on September 21, the Seventh District on October 12, and the Fifth District on November 2. In total, law enforcement officers in 324 different agencies will be trained how to file electronic warrants. The electronic search warrants will use technology to lessen the time required to obtain search warrants, reduce travel time by law enforcement officers, and more effectively utilize judicial officers' time. Achievement of the primary aims will also result in lower costs to law enforcement agencies by eliminating costs associated with travel as well as enabling law enforcement officers to act upon search warrants more expeditiously.
Both the distributive workload process and electronic search warrants are examples of efficiencies that require collaborations between multiple departments and counties. Without your involvement, skill, and knowledge, these, and many other, innovations would not be possible. Thank you for everything you do every day to serve the citizens of Iowa and to be watchful stewards of state funds.