The age of video conferencing in Lancaster County's 20 district courts is dawning.

The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts on Wednesday announced plans to install cameras and monitors in all the county's district courts over the next four months.

Once installed, district judges will be able to sit in their offices and conduct proceedings for defendants being held at the county prison, which already has video conferencing equipment.

The move is part of a $2.8-million initiative launched by the state Supreme Court to provide video-conferencing capabilities to district courts across the state that don't already have the equipment.

"Implementation of video preliminary arraignment enhances safety for … district judges, their staffs and others who have business in their courts since fewer detainees are present," Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ronald D. Castille said in a news release.

"In addition, this technology makes defendant processing more efficient, while significantly reducing defendant transportation costs."

Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas officials estimate video conferencing will save the county $115,000 each year in payments to constables for transporting defendants between the county prison and district courts.

According to Pennsylvania's criminal court rules, video conferencing can be used only for the following: arraignments; summary charges for failing to pay fines; bench warrants; search warrants; arrest warrants; and emergency protection from abuse orders.

Mark Dalton, Lancaster County Court administrator, said the county's 20 district courts and one courtroom in the county courthouse will be outfitted with equipment by RoData Inc. of Pittsburgh — the contractor hired by the state for the project.

RoData recently outfitted the courts presided over by District Judge Cheryl Hartman, 641 Union St., and District Judge William Reuter, 424 S. Angle St., Mount Joy, so the county could determine what equipment it needs to supply to the courts and the cost, Dalton said.

The county has to supply each court with an Internet connection, which Dalton said should cost about $17,000 per year for all the courts.

County court officials already have experience working with video-conferencing systems because District Judge Bruce Roth has been experimenting with one over the past year at his court at 225 W. King St.

"From my experience, video arraignment is very effective, both economically and time wise," Roth said. "We are able to accomplish what used to cost hundreds of dollars and take hours, at little to no cost in a matter of minutes."

Assuming all the district courts in the county are equipped by the end of this year, Dalton said he expects full use of the systems by the end of 2009.

"We have to slowly bring this up and get the police and the judges in the habit of using it," he said.

RoData is under contract to outfit about 150 district courts in 23 counties across the state over the next four months.

Lancaster County is the second-largest project on the state contract, with 21 sites to be outfitted.

Allegheny County, with 51 sites, is the largest.

E-mail: preilly@lnpnews.com