Administration
The 45th District Court has jurisdiction in the cities of Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge and the Township of Royal Oak. The court has a staff of 24 employees including two judges, three magistrates, 4 probation officers and works with outside agencies such as Oakland County Pre-trial Services, who work with the judicial staff in making bond decisions.
The court is managed by a court administrator who oversees the staff and facilities and works with the judicial staff to ensure that the court operates in an efficient manner. The Court Administrator, Nancy Waldmann, is available by appointment and can be reached by sending an e-mail to waldmann@45dc.org.
Special Programs And Services
- Probation Officer Internship Program: This program allows college student to obtain experience and earn credit towards their Bachelor's Degree by working in the probation department and shadowing a probation officer for one college semester.
- Security/Weapons Screening: The 45th District Court provides security with a team of sworn court officers and security officers contracted through an outside company. These officers are responsible for maintaining a safe environment, which begins with screening all individuals who enter the building and their belongings, utilizing a metal detector and x-ray machine.
- Student Intern / Co-Op Program: This program allows high school and college students to obtain experience and credit towards their diploma, degree or community service. For one semester, the interns and co-op students work closely with the employees of the 45th District Court and learn, first hand, the court's role in the criminal justice system.
- Alcohol Screening Program: This program is for defendants who are ordered to be screened for alcohol. It operates seven days a week, including holidays, and the cost of testing is absorbed by each defendant.
- Community Work Program: The 45th District Court DPW Clean-up Program utilizes supervised probationers to perform specialized clean-up projects with the community. More than 10,000 work hours have been performed since the program began, benefitting the City of Oak Park and its residents.
- Teen Court: The 45th District Court is proud to be participating court in this very successful program since it was introduced in 2001 by the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. Teen Court is a diversion program aimed at keeping juveniles out of the court system. A teen defendant is brought to a court in which the prosecutors, defense attorney and jury are made up of their peers (students from the Oak Park community). The program is designed around the philosophy that a jury of one's peers is more influential in dealing with behavioral problems than any other method, and that peer pressure can be used in a positive way by deterring defendants from becoming repeat offenders. The offenses that may be resolved in Teen Court vary and can include substance abuse offenses, retail fraud (shop lifting), illegal entry, and traffic offenses. Sentencing options consist of Teen Court jury duty, oral/written apologies, community service, random alcohol/drug screening, restitution and, in some cases, counseling. In the Teen Court, confidentiality of all aspects of the proceedings is mandatory. Everyone in the courtroom takes an oath of confidentiality to ensure that the rights and privacy of the defendant is maintained.