To facilitate court and county office procedures, the County Commissioners hereby adopt this section to regulate the use of cellular telephones/tablets within the Cass County Government Building/Courthouse. Except as provided below, the possession of cellular telephones and tablets is permitted within the public areas of the Cass County Government Building for business use only. Cellular telephones and tablets may not be used in private areas of the Government Center where the general public is not permitted. The use of cellular telephones and tablets for personal use within the Government Center is strictly prohibited and the use of cellular telephones or tablets for personal use may result in the phone or tablet being confiscated or the offender being asked to leave the Government Center. Further, possession of cellular telephones and tablets within the Cass Circuit, Cass Superior 1 and Cass Superior 2 Courts is prohibited. The primary purpose of restricting possession of cellular phones and tablets within the courts is to protect the safety of judges, staff, parties, witnesses, and jurors who may appear before the courts and to protect the integrity of the judicial process. Before entering the above-referenced courts, cellular telephones and tablets must be placed in locked storage boxes located outside each court room. Each individual is responsible for selecting and memorizing a personalized code for the use of the cell phone storage box. Failure to place your cell phone or tablet in the storage box prior to entering the courtroom may, and likely will, result in the seizure and forfeiture of the cell phone or tablet per court policy. This section is not intended to prohibit those persons attending public meetings at the Cass County Government Center from possessing cellular telephones and tablets for the purpose of recording public meetings or for other county business.
(Ord. 18-01, passed 4-2-2018; Ord. 2023-08, passed 5-15-2023)
Penalty, see § 10.99