normally i consider cops thugs who help the government opress us but in this case this pig is right!!!! Original Article Closure of Tempe courts is detrimental to justice Dec. 2, 2005 12:00 AM Raise your hand if you're a resident of Tempe and know how to get to 201 East Chicago Street in downtown Chandler, the proposed site of the Santan Consolidated Justice Court Building. Here's a hint. It's 15 miles from the main campus of Arizona State University. How's that for convenience? The existing East Tempe Justice Court is two miles from ASU, on the southeastern corner of Broadway Road and McClintock Drive. Thanks to Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock, among others, a four-mile round trip is about to mutate into a 30-mile road trip. As such, the supervisor's effort to save money through court consolidation is going to cost everyone more time and more money. Last year, in excess of 75,000 "everyones" traveled to Tempe's two Justice Courts. In the future, they had better pack a compass and a lunch. The ASU connection is important because everyone cited or arrested (felonies aside) by the university's Department of Public Safety has his case adjudicated by the Tempe Justice Court. In fact, everyone cited or arrested within the boundaries of Tempe (felonies aside) by any police agency other than the Tempe Police Department has his case adjudicated by Tempe's Justice Courts. In fiscal year 2004-05, Tempe's Justice Courts issued 532 orders of protection and injunctions against harassment. These orders and injunctions are currently served by the constables assigned to the Justice Courts. Now, people will file their requests in Tempe's Municipal Court, the net effect of which will increase the court's caseload. No savings there. Furthermore, Tempe police are going to find themselves serving those orders and injunctions. No savings there. And, in time, much the same thing is going to happen to requests for search warrants and telephone records. In other words, the Tempe Municipal Court is going to get a whole lot busier, and Tempe detectives and sworn officers are going to become process servers. Alas, no savings there either. Then, there's the issue of justice. It's a concept that relies on access to the courts. You can't have your day in court if you can't get to the courtroom. Unlike the members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, not everyone has unlimited access to a free county car at taxpayer expense. The bottom line is this. The closure of Tempe's two Justice Courts is bad public policy because, first and foremost, it's detrimental to the cause of justice. It will deny fair hearings to thousands of people. It will inconvenience many thousands more. For lack of ready access to orders of protection, people, mostly women, are going to be further victimized by their violent husbands and boyfriends. The closure of Tempe's Justice Courts will increase the caseload borne by Tempe's municipal court. Hiding the Justice Courts in downtown Chandler will cost the Arizona State University Department of Public Safety and the Tempe Police Department more time and therefore more money. Supervisor Brock owes the residents of Tempe an explanation. How are they better served by this most ridiculous of ideas? Dan Durrenberger is a 32-year resident of the Southeast Valley who lives in Tempe and works in Mesa. He can be reached at DJDurrenberger@ aol.com.