The Court Services Division provides security at the Common Pleas Courthouse, Bow Building, County Building, and the Civil Office. A Deputy Sheriff, with the rank of Sergeant or higher is assigned as the Unit Commander and Supervisor of (13) thirteen deputies who provide security, (2) two deputies who serve legal papers and (3) three clerks who conduct the operations of the Civil Office.
Headquartered in the Stark County Office Building in downtown Canton, the division is charged with the service of all court-related documents, such as subpoenas, summons, writs, certified protection orders, injunctions and other legal papers processed by the clerks. Deputies must have knowledge of legal terms as well as formal process of notification.
Responsibilities of the Court Services Division include service of process throughout the entire county and serve documents, not only in the unincorporated areas of the county, but in the municipalities and villages as well. Documents arrive from the following: Stark County Common Pleas Court, Stark County Probate Court, Stark County Family Court, Alliance Municipal Court, Canton Municipal Court, Massillon Municipal Court, including other courts in the State of Ohio as well as out of state documents. The documents pertain to civil, criminal, divorce, domestic, Grand Jury notices and jury subpoenas, juvenile, probate, and traffic cases.
The clerks maintain records, ledgers, Civil checking account and other records relating to the main function of the Civil Office. This includes Sheriff’s Sales of properties, service of process and the fees related to these services, distribution of the proceeds of the properties sold at Sheriff’s Sales, preparation of the civil process, as well as the service results being returned to the issuing court or agency, and numerous other duties. (2) Two uniformed deputies provide service of papers issued within the entire area of Stark County.
Deputies provide security and screening for the County Courthouse including the Common Pleas Court, and the Clerk of Courts. The Bow Building also has deputies providing security screening, which is within walking distance of the County Courthouse. Family Court (Domestic and Juvenile Divisions), Probate Court, and the Fifth District Court of Appeals are located in the County Office Building. In addition to providing security screening, the deputies assigned to Court Services Division, respond to issues within the County Office Building at the Auditor’s Office, Clerk of Courts, Commissioner’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Recorder’s Office, State Probation and Parole, the Veterans Administration, Law Library, County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Job and Family Services offices.
Due to the ever changing times we live in, security at the Courthouse, the Bow Building, and the County Office Building are continually being upgraded in a continued effort to make those buildings a safe place for the Citizens of Stark County to conduct their business and accomplish county functions. Although these changes sometimes cause some inconveniences for some, however for safety of all, these changes are necessary.
CONTRABAND
Illegal or contraband items which are not allowed into the County Office Building, Bow Building, or the Stark County Courthouse.
The County Commissioners, and the Judges of the Stark County Common Pleas Court, Domestic / Family Court and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office decided that the deputies assigned to the courthouse metal detectors, would no longer hold property that was secured, held and returned to people when they left the building. Instead visitors would be given the opportunity to return the property to their vehicles or they would have to dispose of the items into a secured container can in the screening area.
This saved time for the deputies assigned to the Courthouse metal detectors, who would then try to contact the owners of property that was left by the owners, when they left without picking up their property. In most cases the property was unclaimed and would later be destroyed.
Another security measure the Courts enacted is no food or drink can be brought into the courthouse from the outside. Food and drink items cannot be properly screened.