Judge Thomas Maddock
Where we once had four commissioners hearing traffic cases, we now have just two. We used to have a traffic court in Concord, but it has been closed.
We have Commissioner Richards who hears traffic cases in the Pittsburg Courthouse in the mornings and in the Richmond Courthouse in the afternoons, five days a week.
We have Commissioner Creighton who hears traffic cases five days a week in the Walnut Creek Court, covering what used to be the Walnut Creek area, but now includes all Concord traffic caseloads as well. We have centralized traffic citation processing, created a traffic call center and standardized call procedures.
If not for the hard work and increased efficiencies that our remaining staff has put in place, we would not be able to operate. They have reduced the time to trial by months, increased the access for traffic defendants to pay fines over the Internet and via the phone, and have ended the practice of issuing bench warrants for drivers who fail to appear after signing a written promise to appear.
In place of the bench warrants, we now issue a Civil Assessment and place a hold on their driver’s license with the Department of Motor Vehicles. This has resulted in more traffic litigants actually coming to court to resolve their cases. We are scrupulously observing notice requirements to all such litigants.
Finally, we have extended the traffic clerk window hours until 4 p.m., so litigants have an opportunity to handle all traffic matters at our Pittsburg, Walnut Creek and Richmond Court locations.