Giant video monitor tops court upgrades

Whitman County’s Superior courtroom is looking to get a makeover.

Superior Court Administrator Sonya Miller said the court will receive new doors, new tables for attorneys, a digital evidence projector and a 63-inch video monitor.

The projector will display digital images of evidence and documents on the monitor. Miller said it is a high-tech version of an overhead projector.

The large monitor, Miller said, will allow juries, plaintiffs, defendants and the spectators an improved view of evidence presented during trials.

The projector will cost $1,963.49. The monitor will cost $4,300.

The doors and the counsel tables are being replaced, Miller said, to hold down courtroom noise that interferes with court recordings.

The current double doors are made of steel and make loud banging noises when opened and closed. The desks are also made of metal and make similar noises.

The new doors will also include windows that will allow deputies to see inside the courtroom.

Cost to replace the doors is estimated $4,671.41, while the new tables will cost $4,195.30.

Total cost of the improvements is $15,130.20. The cost will be paid out of the Trial Court Improvement Account.

The account, currently with a balance of near $38,000, was created in 2005 to pay for improvements.