Putnam Judicial Commissioners Merging Under Circuit Court Clerk Office

The structure of the Putnam County Judicial Commissioners will change upon Judicial Commissioner Tom Derricks’ retirement at the end of this month.

Circuit Court Clerk Jennifer Wilkerson said night shift Judicial Commissioners will transfer under the supervision of the circuit court clerk office.

“By having them under another agency or department within the county will allow them more opportunity to take advantage of resources the county can offer such as training,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson said the merger means both day and night shift commissioners now work through the same office. Before, Wilkerson said night workers were separate and acted as independent judges.

“In the past, the day time you had some clerks also some judicial commissioners that were appointed here inside the clerk’s office, and then, you had a separate group of folks that were night time Judicial Commissioners or magistrates that were separate in of themselves. After this merger, the night time Judicial Commissioners will go under circuit court clerk office.”

Wilkerson said the move should not affect the public and provide more consistency to services. The Putnam County Commission approved the merger at its November 15th meeting.

“The public still if they are in need of criminal summons or an individual seeks to take out some form of charges, they can see the Judicial Commissioners that are here inside the clerk’s office,” Wilkerson said. “There are night time Judicial Commissioners still on staff, 24 hours a day if there was a need for an order of protection.”