Local residents have seen much progress lately in making more government information available on the Web, but a move planned Tuesday will top them all.

Barring any last-minute glitches, beginning Tuesday morning, anyone with Internet access will be able to view the status of all criminal cases handled by Allen County courts, from the worst felonies to the smallest traffic infractions. In addition to greatly opening public access to the courts, a new computer system expected to go live over the Labor Day weekend will improve public safety and make the courts more efficient.

The statewide Odyssey computer system is being rolled out county by county across Indiana, with about a third of countywide courts in various stages of deployment. The system is yet another progressive effort from the Indiana Supreme Court to improve the state’s judicial system. The court’s Judicial Technology and Automation Committee (JTAC) oversees the project. The nine-member panel includes Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull as well as Appeals Court Judge Paul Mathias, a former Allen County judge.

Here are some of the highlights of its advantages:

For the public: Anyone interested in a criminal or traffic case in Allen County can find the docket sheet – which explains the case’s status – online. Was someone recently in the news charged with a previous crime? If so, was he or she convicted? Does your neighbor have a criminal case pending? Which day were you supposed to show up in court for a traffic ticket? The system offers this information and much more. Previously, the information was available only at the Courthouse during regular hours.

“For the public, it means instant access to case information,” Gull noted.

For public safety: Because the system will eventually be statewide, court personnel in Allen County will be able to learn almost immediately whether a suspect or defendant has been charged elsewhere and the status of that case. Getting such information now is more haphazard.

For court efficiency: Eventually, the system will greatly reduce the number of times information must be manually entered. Various players in the court system will be able simply to add to the electronic record rather than each completing a paper record. For instance, a police officer will issue an e-ticket, and the information is instantly entered into the Odyssey system. If the ticket results in a conviction, the system sends the information directly to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Currently, Allen County sends a printout of traffic convictions to Indiana State Police staff, who then must manually re-enter the information.

The JTAC program is paying for the computer system. JTAC gets its money not from local taxes but from court user fees and federal grants. More than 850,000 Allen County court records dating to the mid-1980s will be on the system next week. Records for civil cases, including divorces, will be available in coming months.

This modernization of court technology is welcome and will serve the public well – and it all starts Tuesday.