Monroe Village Court awarded $6,915 state grant

Monroe - The state Office of Court Administration has awarded the Monroe Village Court a $6,915 grant that will be used to further upgrade security in the lobby of Village Hall and for office equipment. In the press release announcing the award, Monroe Village Justice Forrest Strauss noted that this was the fourth year in a row that the village has received such a grant under the Justice Court Assistance Program. Previous grants, which total more than $50,000, have paid for office equipment, case-tracking software, courtroom and office furniture, metal detectors and other security equipment and substantial construction that improved the security and accessibility of village facilities used by the court and other village agencies, the judge said. More than 2,300 civil and criminal matters have been heard in Monroe Village Court since the court was revived in August 2007. The court meets seven times each month. Strauss said a typical criminal calender for one evening averages between 60 and 75 cases, of which about 20 to 25 percent represent new arrests. A typical traffic and civil calendar usually entails 50-60 traffic matters plus the trial or settlement for three or four small claims, landlord-tenant or other civil matters. The court also handles more than 150 traffic tickets and dozens of parking tickets every month.