LIHU‘E — For many people the first time in court is their only time, and it can be a confusing experience. A new volunteer with a very familiar face at the 5th Circuit Court information kiosk is there to help
LIHU‘E — For many people the first time in court is their only time, and it can be a confusing experience. A new volunteer with a very familiar face at the 5th Circuit Court information kiosk is there to help people get to where they need to be.
At 7:45 a.m. weekday mornings, a rush of people are lined up waiting to pass through security and to make their scheduled district court appearance for everything from moving violations to felony criminal offenses. Once inside the courthouse, some people know right where to go, but many others wander about, glancing over court schedules with a glazed look, or asking anyone in a suit why they aren’t on the schedule.
The security staff is the first contact. They don’t have the time to take attention away from screening and are probably told to focus on their primary duties.
This might seem trivial, but to even be a few minutes late for a court hearing will likely mean that the defendant will have to be processed for contempt of court and schedule another hearing.
Francisca Rapozo, or Frances as she is known to most people, is now a part-time volunteer assistant for court clients at the kiosk to the right of the security check-in point. She retired last year after 21 years with the 5th Circuit Court and was recruited for the post by Chief Court Administrator David Lam.
“I wanted to come back to the building and to work for justice,” Rapozo said.
Sometimes people come on the wrong day or they don’t appear on the calendar when a case is moved at the last minute. Others are trying to find the probation office, seek pro bono services or want to know how to find court forms and pay fines.
From 7:45 a.m. until noon, Rapozo directs people to courts and clerks and helps them look up their names and court dates.
It takes some of the confusion out of the process and perhaps sends people in to court just that much less agitated.
“This is where they needed me,” Rapozo said. “People come in and say they don’t have a lawyer, or they want to know if they are on the calendar. These are small things in court, but somebody needs to help out.”
When a case is not on the calendar, Rapozo said she tells them that it might be a last-minute change. She directs them to the appropriate clerk.
“They may know they wanted to have a jury trial, but then don’t realize that it was moved from family court to circuit court, and it all depends,” she said. “Some people say they have to go to family court, but then the case is transferred to circuit court, so I help them out.”
Retirement was not that dull for Rapozo. She has grown children and enjoys golfing most weekdays. She said the opportunity to come back and be of service was appealing, and is a chance to reconnect with former co-workers.
As a lifelong Kaua‘i resident, Rapozo was raised in Lihu‘e. Her maiden name is Agao.
In 1989, Rapozo left her job with Kaua‘i High School to work as a clerk in traffic court when the 5th Circuit was still housed at the Historic County Building. Over the next 21, years she would learn many of the clerk positions before retiring in 2011 as a judicial clerk in circuit court.
In circuit court, Rapozo created and updated adult and juvenile cases in civil and criminal court. She worked closely with judges.
“It was more responsibility, but I liked it,” she said. “They could depend on me to get the file to them and to create a last-minute case. I liked it. I wanted to be busy.”
Rapozo even asks the clerks to give her other work to do when it is slow.
If you’re due in court and walk by the kiosk, make sure to have a big smile ready and say good morning and thank you to Frances Rapozo.
• Tom LaVenture can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or tlaventure@ thegardenisland.com.
