After Oct. 23, don't even think of taking a cellphone into a Callaway or Boone county courthouse unless you have special privileges.
On Aug. 23, officials of the 13th Circuit Court amended Local Court Rule 9.6 Electronic Devices, prohibiting the public from bringing cellphones into any area of the Boone County Courthouse and into courtrooms at the Callaway County Courthouse. This policy will go into effect Oct. 24.
A notice was emailed out Friday morning by Court Administrator Mary Epping, who confirmed the new rule that afternoon.
"That is a new policy of the 13th Circuit," she said. "We'll see how implementation goes. We're optimistic, between our court marshals and staff being vigilant, that it will be a smooth transition with providing lots of notice to the public."
Signs banning cellphones have already been posted at the Boone County Courthouse and will be going up at the Callaway County facility Tuesday.
"They're different in that Callaway is a multi-functional building," Epping said. "People are going there for more than court."
She said court marshals have been pushing for the ban since 2012.
"There's a couple different things," she said of the reasons behind the ban. "There's the ringing. Phones are going off and causing a distraction."
Then there's the darker side, Epping added.
"There are also some security issues associated with it," she said.
If people get caught with cellphones, they won't be fined, but they can expect to have their phones taken away.
"There's already a policy not to use cellphones," Epping said. "If they are caught using them, the court marshals will take them away and give them back at the end of the docket."
The 13th Circuit Court isn't the first legal body to make this choice. At least 14 other state courts in Missouri have the same or more restrictive policies, and the public is not allowed to bring phones into the Supreme Court of Missouri; the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District; and some federal courthouses.
"We aren't the first, and we won't be the last," Epping added. "It will be interesting to see what happens."
Exceptions will be made for:
Attorneys in good standing.
State and county employees on court business.
Law enforcement personnel and probation and parole officers on official duty.
Victims/witnesses who are attending court business in the prosecuting attorney's office and the juvenile office (Boone County).
Members of the press.
Any other person the court may authorize.
Persons in the categories above may be required to provide identification to confirm their status upon the request of court marshals.