A new court record system will go statewide after the kinks are remedied following a recent audit of the Clerk?s Office in Anne Arundel Circuit Court.
“We were a pilot for the financial component of the Uniform Court System that will be applied to all counties in the state,” said Douglas Arnold, assistant chief deputy for the clerk?s office.
“This helps refine all of the permissions [software accessibility] that will be applied statewide.”
The Uniform Court System is an automated court recordkeeping system for criminal, civil and juvenile cases that includes managing files and cash receipts, according to the audit report.
But the system was too widely accessible to employees in the clerk?s office and could allow for cash receipt misappropriations, said Tom Barnickel, deputy legislative auditor.
“If someone decided to, they could take the cash and credit the person?s account as if the person did pay,” he said.
Circuit Court Clerk Robert Duckworth agreed that more limits were needed in accessing information in the system and has since limited access to certain employees.
But he disagreed with the audit?s finding that two bank accounts, one holding $1.8 million, were maintained at banks not approved by the State Treasurer?s office.
One of the bank accounts is an escrow account holding litigant funds, and the second account is related to the Bar Library Fund, Arnold said.
“Those are county funds that don?t come under the ruling that it has to go into a state-approved bank because it?s not state funds,” he said.
“Itcomplicates things because there are expenses associated with changing accounts, but we?re working it out with the Attorney General?s Office.”
