The Wichita Municipal Court is a limited jurisdiction court, authorized under ordinance with jurisdiction over all violations of the Code of the City of Wichita. The City of Wichita, with a population in excess of 300,000, is the largest city in the state of Kansas. Similarly, the Wichita Municipal Court is the largest limited jurisdiction court in the state.
The Municipal Court has 5 appointed judges, and 23 pro-tem judges. Administrative Judge Jennifer Jones oversees the judicial staff. In any given year the Municipal Court judges see in excess of 190,000 cases which are set on the court dockets. Court sessions run all day long beginning at 8:15 AM with the final docket call being at 6:00 PM. The judges hear cases involving traffic and health infractions as well as misdemeanor cases involving Driving Under the Influence, criminal cases such as Petit Theft, Prostitution, and Drug violations as well as Domestic Violence. An environmental judge hears cases dealing with Health, Fire, and Central Inspection violations at neighborhood courts set up in various locations throughout the city of Wichita.
The Office of the Municipal Court is divided into two divisions: the Court Clerk's Office and Probation Office with an annual budget of approximately $5,000,000. A Court Administrator with a staff of 77 full-time and 8 part-time employees oversees it.
The Clerk of the Municipal Court heads the Court Clerk's Office. The Clerk's Office is responsible for all cases filed by the Police, Health, Fire, and Central Inspection Departments. Last year there were 40,900 new court cases and 123,000 citations filed with the Clerk. The Court issued 88,000 warrants and suspended 17,000 driver's licenses for individuals who either failed to appear in court or failed to comply with a citation or criminal complaint.
The Clerk's Office also provides customer service, taking payments, answering phone calls, and giving information. Each day approximately 1800 people appear in the Clerk's Office. Additionally they receive about 900 phone calls each day. Docket Clerks prepare approximately 800 cases each day for the court dockets while other clerks create court paperwork on about 800 new cases each week.
The Probation Office assists judges in defendant evaluation, prisoner monitoring, and probationer monitoring. Approximately 3600 clients report each month, either in person or by phone. Probation Officers also conduct over 240 Pre Sentence Investigations each month to aid the judges in sentencing. Additionally, the Probation Office manages defendants placed on Community Service as well as give information and instruction to individuals needing drug and alcohol education/treatment. They also process court-ordered restitution to victims.
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