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DIXON — Lee County's new site for the public to access court records is up and running.
The Circuit Clerk's Office switched over to an upgraded filing system on Sept. 19 as a $500,000 investment to meet the Illinois Supreme Court's requirement to have all court records filed electronically. The deadline is July 1 for documents in civil cases and Jan. 1, 2018, for all other records.
The county's AS 400 system, which it acquired in 1989, has been replaced with Full Court Enterprise. New entries have not been posted on the previous public access site, judici.com since Sept. 19. Soon, even records from before that date will be inaccessible there.
Like anything new, the transition has taken some getting used to and has required a high level of patience from the public and judicial personnel.
The launch of the FCE public site was delayed by about a month, and it's still a work in progress, but here's everything you need to know about how to use it:
First, go to leecountyil.com and click Access Court Records. If you don't see the icon on the home page, the link can be found on the Circuit Clerk site under Your Government and Departments.
Once the FCE site pops up, click Log In. Public access does not require a user name or password.
Once inside, it will look like a big blank turquoise background with a few labels across a blue bar. This is normal.
Information can be found through several different types of searches including by name, citation number or case number.
It's still similar to judici.com and other court access sites, but it takes a little more initial navigating to get used to.
There's also a schedule outlining the daily and weekly court docket — my favorite feature of the new public access portal — where you have a multitude of options to customize your search.
As someone who wades through a plethora of public documents on a regular basis, I find the FCE platform is fairly simple and has a sizable potential for growth.
The county has taken a proactive step with this new system, and it will be interesting to see the transition toward digital documentation during the next year or so.
There's no replacing the feel of combing through stacks of papers, but the ease of technology is certainly a fair trade-off, especially when it makes information more readily available to the public.
MORE INFORMATION
Go to leecountyil.com and click on the Access Court Records icon to explore the county's new public access site for court records.
The link can also be found in the website's Circuit Clerk section. Call 815-284-5234, visit the website or go to the New Courts Building, 309 S. Galena Ave., for more information.
OFFICE HOURS
Dixon reporter Rachel Rodgers has "office hours" from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays at Books On First, 202 W. First St.
Feel free to pitch her a story, leave a news tip, or just say hi.
You also can email her at rrodgers@saukvalley.com or give her a call at 815-625-3600, ext. 5529.