By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — On any given week, Rowan County’s Friday traffic court could see from 450 to 1,100 people, and many may spend the day in court only to have to return another day.

That could all change in part due to the Electronic Compliance and Dismissal program, which went into effect Monday. It’s provided through the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.

“Citizens will be able to request dismissals for certain traffic offenses provided they have complied with North Carolina DMV requirements and followed the instructions on how to submit a request for a dismissal, which will be listed on their citation,” said Rowan County District Attorney Brandy Cook, whose office is participating in the program.

Cook said she is excited to begin using this program in her office, “which will certainly reduce the foot traffic in the courthouse.”

The program will automatically send an email to the person making the request, which will either confirm or deny the request for a dismissal. If the request is granted, the person making the request will not need to appear in court; however, if the request is denied, they will have to appear on their scheduled court date.

The information will be entered into the computer by the district attorney’s office. A report will be generated each day. If the request for dismissal has been granted, the clerk’s office staff removes the file from that court date.

“This program will benefit citizens by reducing unnecessary court appearances for certain minor traffic violations,” Cook said.

Clerk of Court Jeff Barger said this new program will “really make a difference to my staff,” as well as to people cited for the violations.

“Most people don’t want to come up here and sit here. We hope this will alleviate all of that,” Barger said.

It will all depend on whether people take advantage of the program, he said.

Many of the people who attend traffic court are those with expired registrations or inspection violations. There is no cost to make a request for a dismissal.

At this time, the program will allow citizens to request dismissals for the following offenses:

• No operator’s license
• Failure to carry a valid driver’s license
• Expired operator’s license
• Expired/no inspection
• Drive/allow registration plate not display
• Drive/allow motor vehicle no registration
• Canceled/revoked/suspended certificate/tag
• Expired registration card/tag

For more information about the program, visit http://onlineservices.nccourts.org