In a display of transparency, Judge Tracy Flood of the Bremerton Municipal Court gave insight to its success and challenges in her State of the Court address Feb. 10.

The speech was the first of its kind for a judge in Bremerton courts, although Flood is no stranger to firsts, especially those marked by her election in November of 2021. Her successful run for the seat made her just the second elected judge of the city court and the first black woman to preside over a court in Kitsap County.

Upon taking the podium at the Norm Dicks Government Center in downtown Bremerton, she said creating and giving such an address was an important step in educating the public on the “independence of the judiciary.”

“The State of the Court address is my opportunity to provide the community that elected me with how far we have come in the last year,” she said. “It is an opportunity to communicate my continued vision since my election, what I have accomplished the last twelve months and what we have accomplished.”

Flood said the court looks forward to what is expected to be the first full post-COVID year of judicial business. She reported the court had moved past its mandatory mask requirements and was conducting “fully functional trials,” but while the pandemic appears to be behind us, she also said it will be crucial to err on the side of caution and “stay ahead of the curve.”

The municipal court, which also includes a therapeutic court to address mental health and drug cases, experienced a major caseload in 2022, with Flood reporting over 22,000 filings. Flood said she hopes to address the high number of cases by discussing increasing court staff, saying especially how important it will be to keep the therapeutic court moving forward.

“People think about the therapeutic courts, and some say, ‘Well, this is just another program to let people out of jail and to continue to give them a pass.’ The therapeutic court program is about restorative justice, accountability and giving them the resources and tools to treat the whole person,” she said.

One major update Flood said she plans to address is severely outdated technology in the courtroom. Some grant money will work to address the issues, including the AV media system that has not received any updates in 14 years and some computer systems nearing a decade in age. “We get the refurbished of the refurbished of the refurbished,” she said, “and if you’re running all this new technology on those systems, they crash.”

Updating the technology is especially important to Flood not just to adapt to modern standards, but also due to the several military workers who move around and may need access to the court to address matters virtually. She said she expects to give a better update in the coming year regarding technology. “We need the technology to be able to function at a level that the courts are now requiring to continue the access to justice, to allow for the remote hearings,” she said.

Toward the end of her address, Flood thanked the city for continuing to work with her. She also promised citizens that while things may appear stalled, work is being done slowly but surely. “While we are the independent branch of the government, we still work with the city government, and things don’t often move as fast as we would like, but they are moving.”