MINISTERIAL RECORDER bei City of Columbia, SC

About the Department

This position performs skilled responsible professional work, judicial in nature, in support of the daily activities of Municipal Court including the preparation, authorization and issuance of arrest warrants, search warrants, bench warrants, courtesy summonses, rules to show cause and the setting and the acceptance of bonds and recognizances; prepares and maintains accurate and complete court records; and performs other related duties as assigned. The incumbent works independently with limited supervision.

The work is considered sedentary and involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a recurring basis, and routine keyboard operations. The work requires the following physical abilities to perform the essential job functions: fingering, hearing, mental acuity, repetitive motion, speaking, talking, and visual acuity.

Work environment involves exposure to no known environmental hazards; and is safe and secure that may periodically have unpredicted requirements or demands.

Position Duties

• Establishes, authorizes and maintains arrest warrant, search warrant, bench warrant and other related case files;
• Reviews affidavits submitted by police officers and individuals to determine probable cause for the issuance of arrest warrants, search warrants and courtesy summons documents;
• Serves as a Judge with Limited powers, not a licensed attorney, and functions as a judicial officer within the scope and limits of the Court under the authority of the Chief Administrative Judge, as authorized by S.C. Code Ann, §14-25-115 (1976);

• Remains on call 24 hours per day, seven days per week, for emergency response;

• Schedules rules to show cause hearings and trials in courtesy summons cases; notifies all parties of court dates and times;
• Accepts bonds and recognizances and develops and authorizes the necessary paperwork to process a bond;
• In sealed sentence case: notifies defendant of a Trial in Absence (TIA) and the existence of the sealed sentence by sending a letter by mail; 
• Schedules sealed sentence case for next available court session as soon as the defendant is notified. Notifies all case parties (defendant, attorney, public defender, victim and city prosecutor) of court date by letter; 

• Prepares, processes, indexes, files and/or submits/transmits warrants and courtesy summons documents and records;
• Enters case information into computer record-keeping system; retrieves information as needed;
• Assists defendants, attorneys, solicitors, court personnel, law enforcement personnel, jurors, magistrates and others in completing various legal forms as required for court processes;
• Receives and responds to inquiries, requests for assistance and complaints in areas of responsibility; and

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK: 

• High school diploma or GED;
• Three (3) years of relevant prior experience;
• Valid South Carolina Class “D” Driver’s License;
• Pass exam offered by Court Administration within one year from date of hire or promotion.  Requires recertification periodically as required by law;
• Requires completion of training program and passage of exam in compliance with standards established by the South Carolina Supreme Court; requires certification by Municipal Court of compliance with applicable training programs and tests.

Other Qualifications

• Knowledge of addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and/or calculating ratios, rates and percentages;
• Knowledge of personal computer equipment with skill in doing data entry and in the use of Microsoft Office preferred, utilizing Outlook and word processing and spreadsheet software programs;
• Ability to gather, organize, analyze, examine or evaluate data or information and may prescribe action based on such data or information;
• Ability to provide information guidance or assistance to people to directly facilitate task accomplishment; may give directions or assignments to helpers or assistants;
• Ability to handle or use machines, tools or equipment requiring brief instruction or experience, such as computers for data entry, fax machines, copiers, telephones or similar equipment; may service office machines, including adding paper and changing toner;
• Ability to perform skilled work involving rules/systems with almost constant problem-solving;
• Ability to read technical instructions, procedures, manuals and charts to solve practical problems; composing routine reports and specialized reports, forms and business letters with proper format; speaking compound sentences using normal grammar and word form;
• Ability to perform clerical, manual or technical tasks requiring a wide range of procedures and requiring intensive understanding of a restricted field or complete familiarity with the functions of a unit or small division of an operating agency; requires normal attention with short periods of concentration for accurate results or occasional exposure to unusual pressure; and
• Ability to guide others, requiring frequent decisions affecting co-workers and others who depend on the service or product; works in a somewhat fluid environment with rules and procedures but with many variations from the routine.