Policy
Standby court time is time spent being available to proceed immediately to court for the purpose of testifying. Employees on “Standby” status must be available by telephone or pager and available to return the phone call/page within a 5-10 minute time frame. If notified to appear, employees on standby must appear in court within one hour.
The City and/or County Attorney or their designated representative will submit a completed Court/Standby Verification Form (MP-6105) to Court Liaison personnel for each employee that is to be placed on standby. Court Liaison personnel or a court representative may request an unsubpoenaed off-duty employee to appear or be on standby. An unsubpoenaed on-duty employee may be placed on standby.
Employees shall not request to be placed on standby but should request that verification be sent to Court Liaison personnel if placed on standby.
Court Liaison personnel will maintain all Court/Standby Verification forms (MP-6105).
Normal standby status in the A.M. hours begins at 1000 hours and ends at 1200 hours. In the P.M., hours, standby begins at 1300 hours and ends at 1600 hours, unless the attorney or their representative notifies Court Liaison personnel of an extension or termination of standby and of any special circumstances. Standby hours will be stated on the subpoena. Any changes in standby hours will be relayed to the employee by Court Liaison personnel or court representatives.
Compensatory time for court standby will be credited per individual labor agreements.
Definitions
Refer to the Commonly Used Terms page for general definitions.
- Court Standby:
- An off-duty status in which an employee must:
- Be reachable by phone, cell phone or pager.
- Be in court within one hour of such call.
- An employee who is on “Standby” is eligible for “Standby” compensation per individual labor agreement.
- Limited English Proficiency: Designates individuals whose primary language is not English and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. LEP individuals may be competent in certain types of communication (e.g. speaking or understanding), but still be LEP for other purposes (e.g. reading or writing). Similarly, LEP designations are context specific. An individual may possess sufficient English language skills to function in one setting, but may find these skills are insufficient in other situations.
- Subpoena: An official court order for an individual to appear in court. The Subpoena remains in effect until the case is over or the Issuing Authority excuses the individual under Subpoena.