Jury duty might not exactly be considered fun, but it's getting easier at the newly Wi-Fi-friendly Macomb County Courthouse. It's just one more benefit for downtown Mt. Clemens.
Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh launched the free wireless Internet program at the courthouse this week. The new service allows patrons to surf the web and do things such as look up case status, confirm which judge is hearing a case, and use the Sheriff's online inmate locator. The County Clerk's office is also working to enable online payment of court costs and services.
"We're looking at things that make our services more accessible to the public," Sambaugh says.
The county paid AT&T $15,458 to make the building Wi-Fi friendly and less than $2 a day for the service. It first provided wireless Internet for jurors in 2006 in what turned out to be a string of small amenities that have enhanced the downtown business environment.
Jurors receive pagers so they can shop nearby while waiting to be called to court and can arrange books from the Mt.
Clemens Public Library to be delivered to them at the jury
counter. They are also eligible to receive free SMART bus tickets to and from Mt. Clemens.
"It's true," Sambaugh says. "The little things add up."
Source: Carmella Sabaugh, clerk of Macomb County
Writer: Jon Zemke
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