Birmingham Residents Clear Their Traffic Records Quickly With Rocket Docket
In 2018, Kenijua Carpenter received two tickets for not having auto insurance or a car tag. She already had two previous parking violations that she wasn’t able to pay. And after missing her court date in December 2019, a “failure to appear” landed on her record.
So this week, Carpenter got in line, along with hundreds of other Birmingham residents, outside the Boutwell Auditorium, all of them hoping to get their cases settled by getting their warrants removed and receiving a new court date to pay off a ticket, or pay it off then and there.
“I am glad that they do offer services like this, to give people more time,” Carpenter said.
The Birmingham Municipal Court is the largest in the state of Alabama. And since the COVID-19 pandemic began, backlog cases started to increase.
Municipal Court officials like Judge Andra Sparks are finding resolutions to this problem by having a Rocket Docket and Operation Reset sessions like this one throughout the summer. This week is their second session, and last month during the first round of the initiative, the court saw nearly 2,000 people. That’s five times more compared to a normal court day where judges see about 300-400 people.
“The Rocket Docket helps us speed through a lot of traffic cases,” Sparks said. “Operation Reset is ‘Hey, I know I’ve got some jeopardy hanging over my head. I know I haven’t been to court. I’ll come to you and you can remove that warrant and reset my case.’”
However, the process to get a new court date through Rocket Docket or Operation Reset is not a quick one. Carpenter waited a little more than two hours to see the judge and receive a new court date. But she was able to get a new court date in November to pay over $600 for all of her combined ticket costs. And she’s glad she did it.
Judge Sparks said that this is an unprecedented opportunity for residents, the first time the municipal courts system have offered residents a chance to clear their records.
“This is a legitimate attempt to help people resolve backlog cases and remove warrants,” he said.
If people don’t fully take advantage of this opportunity, then they’ll be recycled back into the system of unresolved cases.
Rocket Docket and Operation Reset will continue to be available to Birmingham residents one more time this summer, Aug. 23-25 at the Boutwell Auditorium.
You can call 205-254-2161 or visit www.birminghamal.gov/municipal-court/ for more information.
How good was the forecast? Texas officials and the National Weather Service disagree
As searchers continue to look for victims in the deadly flash flooding in Texas, officials are answering questions about the weather forecasts ahead of and during the storm.
Video: Timelapse Shows Texas’ Llano River Completely Flood in Just Minutes
Timelapse video shows authorities blocking off a low water crossing over the Llano River in Kingsland just before flash flooding completely inundated the area in just 10 minutes.
Musk forms new party after split with Trump over tax and spending bill
Musk said he's carrying out his threat to form a new political party after a falling out with Trump over the president's sweeping tax cuts law.
Knives, bullets and thieves: the quest for food in Gaza
NPR's Gaza producer faced Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at his forehead and masked thieves as he tried to get food from a U.S.-supported group.
4 things to know about the vaccine ingredient thimerosal
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against flu shots containing the ingredient thimerosal. Why is the additive, safely used since the 1930s, being questioned again?
Tropical Storm Chantal strengthens slightly as it nears landfall in South Carolina
Tropical Storm Chantal grew in strength as it approached the southeast U.S. coast. It's forecasted to bring heavy rains to parts of the Carolinas on Sunday.