When Mike Villar took office as Allegan County’s prosecutor in January, he inherited an office running on two parallel systems: stacks of paper files and a partially used digital case management tool called Karpel.
Within weeks, Villar jumped all-in on digital. On Feb. 14, his office ditched paper files and went fully paperless, a transition Villar calls “transformational” for efficiency and employee morale.
“I knew going in that we had to make a change,” Villar says. “We had laptops, we had access to Karpel, but we were still trying to do everything the old way. It was doubling the workload and wasting time. So we ripped the Band-Aid off.”
Karpel, officially known as PROSECUTORbyKarpel, is an electronic case management system designed for prosecuting attorneys' offices.
The software allows seamless communication with local and state law enforcement agencies. It automates document handling and allows secure access to case files from anywhere, critical when real-time decision-making can mean the difference in a case.
Pioneering the upgraded system
The state of Michigan, in collaboration with the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, began rolling out the Karpel system to counties as part of an effort to modernize the justice system. Allegan County was among the first in the state to receive the upgrade, according to Steve Sedore, the County’s Deputy County Administrator of Operations.
“This system bridges the gap between paper and digital,” Sedore says. “The prosecuting attorney’s office had a records management system before, but it didn’t offer document imaging. Karpel gives us a fully integrated platform. Everything related to a case can be accessible instantly, from anywhere.”
Sedore oversees the county’s information technology and project management offices and was instrumental in coordinating the implementation of Karpel. He notes that the transition was funded by the state, making it not just efficient but cost-effective.
Before the transition, prosecutors had to physically retrieve and transport thick paper files, often filled with thousands of pages of police reports, affidavits, and court documents, to courtrooms or offices. That process is now obsolete.
“Now when I need a file, I just get on my laptop,” Villar says. “Everything is dual-encrypted and accessible within seconds. No more waiting for a secretary to bring a file. No more losing time, or the file.”
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Winsemius agrees.
“If you’re down in court and the judge asks about a case not on the docket, you don’t have to take a recess to go find it,” Winsemius says. “You pull it up on your laptop and you’re ready to go. That’s huge.”
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Courtesy of Allegan CountyChief Assistant Prosecutor Jessica Winsemius.
Winsemius, who previously served as a district court administrator, had experience implementing paperless systems. She notes that the Karpel transition not only improved access but also made the office more secure.
“Our files are now stored with several layers of encryption,” she says. “It’s in line with LEIN (Law Enforcement Information Network) and FBI security protocols. This protects sensitive information better than any locked file cabinet ever could.”
The benefits go beyond speed and security. The shift to digital is projected to yield significant cost savings in staffing and materials.
“Maintaining paper files is expensive,” says Winsemius. “We were spending thousands of dollars a year just buying file folders and paper. And that’s not counting the time staff spent printing, filing, and retrieving them.”
Saving time, money, and space
With Karpel, case files are digital from start to finish. After the statutory retention period, digital files can be securely destroyed with a few clicks, no shredders required.
Perhaps the most tangible benefit is space. A large file room on the second floor of the courthouse stores paper records dating back to 2018. Once the records are scanned and uploaded, that space can be repurposed.
“We’re reclaiming rooms that were basically just paper graveyards,” Villar says.
Sedore adds that scanning and digitizing six years of records will be a one-time effort with long-term payoff.
“That frees up valuable real estate in our courthouse,” he says. “And it ensures continuity of operations. If there’s a fire, flood, or pandemic, we’re not scrambling for paper. Our files are safe and accessible.”
The hybrid model Villar inherited was taking a toll on employees, who were working overtime to manage both paper and digital workflows.
“It was inefficient and demoralizing,” Villar says. “Secretaries had to enter the same data twice, once in Karpel, once on paper. No one had a clear picture of the caseload.”
That’s changed. With Karpel fully deployed, management can view real-time workloads and case progress across the entire team.
“We can see who’s working on what, where the bottlenecks are, and reallocate resources,” Villar says. “That wasn’t possible before.”
Focus on other work
While the change was met with initial anxiety, especially among staff accustomed to paper, Winsemius says the office adapted quickly.
“After a few weeks, everyone saw how much easier it made their jobs,” she says. “Even staff who were hesitant at first are now champions of the system.”
The transition has also allowed staff to refocus on the core mission of the prosecutor’s office: justice.
The office includes 11 attorneys, nine support staff, three victim-witness coordinators, and an in-house investigator. With less paperwork, employees now spend more time on tasks like supporting crime victims, preparing for trial, and reviewing evidence.
“We’re not using automation to cut staff,” Winsemius says. “We’re using it to better serve the public.”
The improved system has been critical for handling juvenile cases, which are subject to strict privacy laws. Previously, juvenile data was being entered in the adult system, a mistake that risked public exposure and compromised funding reports.
“When we pulled our annual data, it looked like we had zero juvenile cases,” says Villar. “We got the juvenile module of Karpel turned on and started migrating cases correctly. Now, we’re in compliance and eligible for state grants.”
Allegan County’s experience is being watched across Michigan as more counties prepare to implement the Karpel system.
“This is going to become the standard,” Winsemius says. “Better for law enforcement, more efficient for our office, and more secure for everyone involved.”