Berea Municipal Court
Established in 1958, Berea Municipal Court, Honorable Mark A. Comstock presiding, handles casework from the municipalities of Berea, Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, Olmsted Falls, Olmsted Township, Strongsville, and the Cleveland Metroparks.
To better serve the community, the Court recently built a new courtroom above the Berea Police Department at City Hall and required a completely new audio visual system so that the legal process could work more effectively and with complete transparency.
JUSTICE BETTER SERVED Utilizing SoundCom’s Ohio State Term Schedule, SoundCom worked directly with the court under a design/build agreement which dramatically reduced the overall cost of the project, streamlined all communication and coordination between trades, and eliminated unnecessary systems and technologies from being introduced into the project.
This new state-of-the-art court features a fully integrated audio visual system features several large LED flat panel displays so that evidence can easily be seen by the judge, jury, attorneys, witnesses, and the gallery.
Multiple cameras have been installed in the courtroom so that all court proceedings can be properly recorded, although careful design of the system utilized strategic camera placements to prevent any jury members from being recorded.
Defense and prosecution attorneys have extensive means of presenting evidence from digital connections at each desk for laptop connectivity, digital document cameras, and even a full annotation and capture system which can easily and images presented during a trial. This same annotation ability can also be used at the witness stand.
Numerous microphones have been placed throughout the court including 360 degree triple-element ceiling microphones so that anyone speaking during a court proceeding can be recorded, even if that speaking person isn’t directly in front of a microphone. This makes trials more fluid as attorneys can freely move around the court and still be heard.
A new Polycom RealPresence Group 500 system was installed so that high-quality video arraignments can be easily performed from the judge’s bench. The system was designed so that the video arraignment system camera angles provide a more intimate exchange between the judge and the accused.
The entire system is controlled by a Crestron DigitalMedia control system with multiple color touch panels installed in the courtroom. The judge has complete control over the system and can easily determine how evidence is reviewed, captured, and displayed throughout the court. Additionally, the bailiff has similar control and can operate the system on the judge’s behalf.
|