LOS ANGELES, CA – Citing an important new application of electronic notarization —with national implications — the National Notary Association today announced that law enforcement and criminal courts in St. Louis County, Minnesota, have implemented a fully-electronic eNotarization process to charge suspects in all criminal cases filed within the county. The two-year pilot program is believed to be the nation’s first application by a state entity of an all-electronic, county-wide charging process.

Utilizing the eNotarization expertise of the National Notary Association, the program — dubbed the “eCharging Service” — was successfully launched March 19. St. Louis County is the first to embrace the program. (A summer rollout is scheduled in three additional counties within the state). Criminal charging documents are being signed, notarized and filed electronically and in real time, providing unsurpassed security, efficiency and cost savings to law enforcement and criminal courts. Additionally, the electronic process also allows a notary’s commission to be validated against a secure registry (also in real time).

While the landmark program marks the first time electronically notarized criminal charges have been filed with Minnesota courts, it also represents a pioneering introduction of eNotarization processes outside of the real estate, property conveyance and banking industries, where it has been used successfully for a number of years.

“The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has chosen to incorporate a secure eNotarization method that the NNA recommends as a best practice,” said NNA Executive Director, Timothy Reiniger. “This confirms that eNotarization, the application of an electronic notary signature, the immediate validation of the notary and the filing of eDocuments can all occur simultaneously in a seamless process that provides great cost and time-saving benefits.”

Prior to the eCharging Service, there was no centralized process available to allow county law enforcement and prosecution offices to electronically prepare and transmit charging documents to the courts. “St. Louis County is believed to be the first county in the country to implement an eCharging service for all criminal complaints,” said Department of Public Safety spokesman, Andy Skoogman. Michael Campion, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, added “The eCharging Service provides a tremendous increase in process efficiency and greatly improves management of the administrative process. It replaces the cumbersome paper charging process which required law enforcement officers to personally transport documents to receiving agencies — wasting valuable time that could instead be used for more officer time on the streets.”

The eCharging Service allows for routing, temporary retention, filing, and printing on demand of all charging documents (including electronic signatures) for all felony, gross misdemeanor and statutory misdemeanor cases. As with traditional filings, a law enforcement officer signing an eCharging document must appear before a Notary. Both the officer and Notary use electronic signatures, with the Notary also using the NNA’s Electronic Notary Signature^® digital certificate.

“We are delighted that the state Supreme Court has authorized a two-year pilot program for this secure and highly efficient method of charging in criminal cases. This also represents a significant milestone in the growing adoption of electronic notarization for use in a wide variety of applications,” said the NNA’s Reiniger.

About the National Notary Association

Established in 1957, the National Notary Association (NNA) is the leading authority on the American Notary office and is dedicated to educating, serving and advocating for the nation’s 4.8 million Notaries. The NNA imparts comprehensive notarial knowledge and understanding, promotes a positive public perception of the Notary professional, and bolsters consumer protection by promoting best practices. The Association’s accredited professional programs, services, model legislation and groundbreaking eNotarization technology initiatives help Notaries advance their careers and serve the American public with the highest level of professionalism and ethics. To learn more, visit www.nationalnotary.org

Media Contact:
Jim Wunderlich
National Notary Association
jwunderlich@nationalnotary.org
(800) 876-6827 Ext. 4080