Criminal Court Clerk, Vince Dean, is excited to announce two more innovative ways that technology is being used in the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office.  Technology is now being used for those who have had a traffic citation dismissed in Hamilton County General Session’s Court. 

Tennessee law provides that any traffic citation that is dismissed by a judge is eligible for expungement at no cost to the defendant.  Previously, a defendant would have to stand in line at the expungement office and wait to file the paperwork in order to start the process.  Now, however, a defendant can walk out of the courtroom and download the assigned QR code and then fill out the necessary paperwork at their own leisure.   The Clerk’s office will notify the defendant once the citation has been expunged.  It is very important that the defendant keep this notification, as it cannot be reproduced once the case has been expunged.

“This is a matter of convenience for the defendant and it also lessens the foot traffic in our office, “ said Dean. “We realize that coming to court and waiting for your traffic citation to be heard by a judge can put a strain on everyone’s already hectic life.  This gets folks in and back out of the courts building to resume their lives a lot quicker.”  

Our payment center routinely assist defendants in having their driver’s license restored.  This process can be daunting for those not familiar with the judicial system.  To ease the process, we are also rolling out a new QR code for the convenience of those ready to have their driver’s license reinstated.  This QR code will direct the user to the necessary paperwork needed to start this process.  Again, the customer will be able to fill out the paperwork at their leisure and submit it electronically. 

“Our office is committed to making everyone’s interaction with the criminal judicial system in Hamilton County as convenient as we possibly can.  These two new QR codes are a wonderful addition to our electronic tool box.”  Dean said.  “We look forward to finding other ways to make the system work better for those using it.”

The QR codes will be prominently displayed in several locations around the courts building to further simplify the process.  Any member of the Criminal Court Clerk’s office will be glad to assist in the process, as well.   Links to both QR codes can be found on either our website www.hamiltontn.gov/courts or on APP, Hamilton County Judicial Services.