Magistrate outlines court performance, access issues and concerns about generative AI evidence

Magistrate Brad Johan Epper gave the council an overview of Chino Valley Municipal Court operations on Sept. 8, covering jurisdiction, staffing, time‑standards performance and emerging issues such as generative AI in evidence.

Epper said the court handles misdemeanors, civil traffic violations and local ordinance violations, maintains bilingual capacity and coordinates with superior court for additional interpreter services. He noted the court exceeded time‑standard metrics in 11 of 15 categories (for example, nearly meeting a 90‑day target for civil traffic resolution at 96.7 percent). "For civil traffic offenses, 98% of those should be resolved in 90 days. We were at nearly that, 96.7," he said.

He discussed hiring (a new part‑time staff member) and security upgrades funded in part by an AOC grant, described collaborative county efforts such as a warrant‑resolution clinic, and said he is working to formalize an indigent‑defense contract to ensure consistent representation. Epper also raised a caution about the growing use of generative AI and the difficulty of assessing evidence authenticity in a fast‑paced limited‑jurisdiction setting: "For me, the concern is... is someone bringing in photographs... that are not true. You know, that's the kind of thing." He encouraged quarterly tracking of metrics to spot patterns in case types that take longer to resolve.

Council members thanked the magistrate and asked no substantive follow‑up questions at the time. Epper said he would return with case filing statistics and other metrics in future reports.