Cook County Courts Remove Lockers Visitors Used To Store Phones
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cell phones are banned at 26th and California, but now there's no place to put them.
"It's been a tough, chaotic day," says Cook County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ben Breit. "There are people here with cell phones and they can't get in the building or to their hearings. It's been all hands on deck and we've been trying to help people. If they have car, we advise them to turn around and store their phones in their vehicles but there are several people who've taken the train and two buses to get here."
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Breit says a vendor issue led to the order. He says it's likely to be permanent.
"It's critical we get the word out," he says. "Don't bring your phone. There's nowhere to put it."
Several people sat in the lobby not knowing what to do.
"People who come here often know there's a ban but they've been used to putting the phones in the lockers," Breit says. "The fact that they aren't here anymore is causing some panic."
He says if you miss a court hearing, it will result in an arrest warrant and possibly being ordered to jail.
"We are doing our best to we can," Breit says. "It's been difficult. A lot of people are confused, not knowing what's going on. It's been a challenging day."
The ban on smartphones at Leighton has been in place for three years to reinforce the sheriff's ban on cameras and recording devices that can take photos and record audio and video.
Chief Judge Timothy Evans entered the smartphone order in 2013 after numerous judges at Leighton had reported that individuals were illegally using their smartphones in courtrooms to take video and photographs of criminal court proceedings and court participants.
For the past year, the Office of Facilities Management had been running the lockers after a vendor pulled out. But recently the office notified the judge they didn't want to handle it anymore which led the order for removal.
"We've had an army of sheriff's deputies in the lobby this morning trying to help people as best we can," Breit says. "People just didn't know. This is the way it's going to be from now on, so people need to be aware of this."
There are some exemptions to the cell phone rules. Current or former judges, attorneys, journalists, government employees and jurors are allowed to bring cell phones into court.
