By Ray King
White Hall District Court met for the first time Wednesday and according to police chief Greg Shapiro, a number of people were expected to attend. Shapiro appeared on the Oldies 101.3 morning show Wednesday morning.
He said this will be the first time the court has been in session since March 4 and people whose court dates were set for March 18, April 1, April 15 and May 6 were unable to appear because the courts were closed by an order of the State Supreme Court.
Shapiro said the department has worked out a plan to protect District Judge Kim Bridgforth and her staff by putting them behind a glass barrier.
He said that despite reducing contacts with the public because of COVID-19, there were instances when an arrest was made, or a citation was written.
“We still had to arrest some people,” Shapiro said. “We don’t have discretion on DWI, domestic battery (and other offenses).
Asked about the financial effect the COVID-19 pandemic will have on his department, Shapiro said:
