Starting Friday, all Luzerne County Courthouse visitors must place their cell phones and smart watches in these locked pouches from Yondr Inc., including those heading to non-court offices inside the building.
Photo courtesy of Yondr Inc.
Luzerne County has updated its policy on cell phones and smartwatches, partly in response to an Oct. 21 mistrial declared after jurors reported photos taken of them as they left the courtroom, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Under the outgoing policy, enacted in April 2024, courthouse visitors must turn off their cell phones and smartwatches and place them in locked pouches as they enter the courthouse if they are attending court proceedings. That rule did not apply to those visiting civil and criminal court records offices or other non-court departments in the courthouse.
The new policy, which takes effect Friday, requires most courthouse visitors to turn off and place their cell phones and smartwatches in the locked pouches regardless of their destination inside the building.
This applies to both the courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre and nearby Bernard C. Brominski Building on North Street, where family court proceedings are held.
The public also will not be permitted to bring the following into the courthouse: electronic tablets, laptops, cameras, audio and video recorders and any other device capable of transmitting, recording or capturing photographs.
Those exempt from the policy: current judges; county employees; federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement officers, including probation and parole, with credentials while on official duty; attorneys and trial support staff with a valid Pennsylvania Bar License or Bar Association card; disabled individuals who require a device for communication or monitoring; credentialed media personnel; and emergency workers actively responding to incidents in either building.
Exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for public meetings, weddings and other courthouse rotunda functions and special events, such as adoption proceedings, cleared by a judge.
In such cases, participants may retain their cell phones or smartwatches only within the designated event area. Possession of devices outside designated areas may result in removal from the courthouse and possible prosecution.
County Sheriff Brian Szumski said Tuesday he had been considering a policy revision before the mistrial.
“That was really the tipping point,” Szumski said of the mistrial.
The Oct. 21 mistrial was for the Hazleton homicide case of Frangel Garcia Andujar after jurors said someone photographed them outside the third-floor courtroom in the courthouse. A status conference to reschedule Andujar’s trial will be held Nov. 14.
Szumski said an investigation is pending on the suspect who allegedly photographed the jurors.
The county’s Tuesday release said the revised policy is intended to strengthen security, protect the integrity of judicial proceedings and ensure compliance with existing court orders regarding electronic devices in courthouse facilities.
“This policy represents a major step in enhancing courthouse security and protecting the confidentiality of judicial proceedings,” Szumski said in the release. “By strictly limiting the number and type of electronic devices inside, we can better safeguard both the integrity of the court process and the privacy of everyone who enters.”
Signs will be posted to inform the public of the new policy, and the requirements will be enforced by county sheriff deputies and contracted security personnel at all entrances. Staff training is underway to “ensure professional and consistent application of the policy,” the release said.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
