Court Appearance Reminder System (CARS)

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Each week thousands of traffic cases that are in collection status are scheduled for court appearances by the County and Court’s collection vendor, GC Services. Historically, approximately one-third of the defendants fail to appear on their scheduled court date. As a result, additional work and expenses are required from court staff to either collect the amount owed or to reschedule another court date. The Court Appearance Reminder System (CARS) was implemented to remind defendants of their scheduled court dates. The goal of CARS is to reduce the number of defendants who fail to appear on their scheduled court date. Increased appearances decrease the workload of court personnel and provide cost savings. CARS not only reminds defendants of their scheduled court dates, but it can also offer the vital option of paying the citation in lieu of appearing in Court. CARS provides a higher level of customer service to defendants. The Los Angeles Superior Court is currently the only court system in the state that offers this innovation.