Lancaster County unveiled a new centralized Magisterial District Court dubbed DUI Central Court to handle all criminal cases involving Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charges. The announcement came during a press conference held at the county courthouse this morning.

“What we’ve decided to do is centralize the whole process so these (DUI) cases don’t just get the system bogged down,” said President Judge Dennis Reinaker during the event.

DUI Central Court will be held twice a month beginning October 1. Preliminary hearings will be scheduled as soon as charges are moved from the original district court to central court.

“Sooner rather than later, we’ll save somebody’s life through this.””-Craig Stedman, Lancaster County DA, on the new DUI Central Court

“Really, what we’re doing is putting everybody into a one-stop shop,” said District Attorney Craig Stedman. “Sooner rather than later, we’ll save somebody’s life through this.”

Under the new system, entrance into the ARD, or Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, will be much quicker.

“Previously, someone charged w/ DUI could wait a year or more before they are sentenced,” said Brett Hambright, media representative for the District Attorney. “We’ve seen plenty of times where individuals languish during that period and get additional DUIs. Under this new system, defendants could get ARD, for example, within weeks of the first charge and get into the D&A counseling/treatment required under ARD”

Defendants will have the option at preliminary hearings of either waiving the hearing, pleading guilty, or appearing at a hearing at a later date. Attorneys will be present to negotiate plea agreements. No police or witnesses are required at this initial preceding, unless a preliminary hearing is requested.

For law enforcement, the streamlined process is a plus.

“This will lead to less time in court and more time on patrol for our officers,” said Manor Township Police Chief Todd Graeff.

New charges at southern county jurisdictions began transfer to DUI Central Court August 31. By the end of September, all new charges should be transferred to central court.

During 2014, there were 1,641 DUI charges filed in Lancaster County, down from the 1,723 DUI charges filed the previous year.  As of Monday, there have been 1,014 DUI charges filed during the first nine months of 2015.