Pre-2009 Documents Redacted, Now Available Free Online In Washington County

Monday, March 31, 2014

— The Washington County Circuit Clerk's Office finished redacting some 750,000 pages of pre-2009 documents and they are now available online.

The documents include criminal, civil and domestic cases, real estate and probate information.

AT A GLANCE

It’s Online

Anyone can access documents in the Washington County Circuit Clerk’s office free online using a link on the Washington County website, www.co.washington.a…. The link is under the “Services” tab. Click on “Search Circuit and Probate Records.” To view and print images, a free subscription is required. Forms to set up an account can be faxed and returned. A user name and password will then be set up for you. The office can be reached at 479-444-1538.

Source: Washington County Circuit Clerk

The Arkansas Supreme Court in June 2013 ordered circuit clerks to remove Social Security numbers and birth dates from pre-2009 online documents to reduce the chances of identity theft. The new rule went into effect in September.

"We want to be able to provide the best service possible to everybody involved," Washington County Circuit Clerk Kyle Sylvester said. "We could have decided to just take it down but that would not do our constituents any good, they'd have to take time out of their day, drive down here, go through security and come to my office. That's not convenient. If we can provide a way they don't have to do that, it benefits everybody."

Documents filed after 2009 are routinely redacted either by the filers or the deputy clerks at the time of filing.

Online access to the county records is free.

"Everything 2009 forward we had redacted, court cases and such, but we had the other stuff up," Sylvester said. "I don't know how much research goes on with those, but we had several people ask when it'd be back up."

Ralph Hudson, a paralegal who regularly researches the records for estate planning and real estate transactions, said having them available at a keystroke saves the firm he works for time and saves clients money.

"The time that attorneys bill for is hourly. So, you figure an attorney's time at $170 or $200 or $225 an hour or even if you use paralegal time, somebody has to physically go to the courthouse, go access those documents, and it costs your client that hourly rate," Hudson said. "So by going online and being able to access those, literally now instead of billing an hour or two of time it's five minutes."

Each page or document had to be reviewed and redacted based on Supreme Court criteria. Cott Systems, which supplies the software used by the clerk's office, did the project at a cost of about $50,000. The money came from the circuit clerk office's technology fund, money which is generated from filing fees in the office.

Sylvester said having the records available online saves time, money and is more efficient for everyone.

"If there's technology available to make access to our records easier I want to use it," Sylvester said. "I thought it was important enough to the people who access this information to embark on the project. We want to be the best circuit clerk's office in the state. I want to make it easier for them."

Sylvester said he talked with lawyers and real estate agents to see what services they needed before undertaking the project.

"If we're able to identify benefits and we can do it, cost and technology-wise, why not do it," Sylvester said. "A lot of the Northwest Arkansas' economy is based on real estate, so the information we house is beneficial. Easier, better and faster, if we can do that, everybody benefits."

Sylvester said those needing access to the records cross county and state lines. Lawyers, bankers and title officers in Northwest Arkansas routinely work in the neighboring counties. Online access also lets people keep working when the weather is bad.

In addition to online services, circuit clerks can find, scan and fax or email documents.

The clerk's office will also be able to roll the now-redacted documents into a new state-mandated electronic filing and case management system when it comes online, probably sometime in the next 18 months, Sylvester said.

"If you don't lay the foundation now, it's more expensive and more hassle later," Sylvester said.

Benton County is in the process of implementing the state-mandated filing system and officials said they expect access to be free when they go live.

NW News on 03/31/2014