prosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.usprosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/TCPGroup2/Docs/Impo… · Web...

TCP Home Statute Download July 16, 2015

Copyright Douglas L. Johnson and the City of Coon Rapids, 2015

http://prosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/TCPGroup2/Default.aspx


Applies to TCP3 Published Versions .273 and higher




Note: Pictures might be slightly different in higher versions.




1. To get copies of new statute update sent to you via email, sign up here: https://www.mncjss.state.mn.us/.



https://www.mncjss.state.mn.us/


Alternatively, you can get selected updates at the TCP Website Downloads page (when available). When you get the file, right-click on it and “Save As...” into your network TCP3\Temp directory. (You can actually save it anywhere you want, but TCP will look there first.) TIP: Change the name of the file to reflect the date of the download so that you will not overwrite other files (ex. change “attachment.csv” to “20150716Attachment.csv.” DO NOT change the .csv extension.)



http://prosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/TCPGroup2/Downloads.aspx


In TCP3 go to File | Import | New Statutes to import statutes into your Charge Stocks.




Note: Because you can overwrite existing statutes with this function, you must be a supervisory user to access this feature. Check with the HelpDesk if you do not know how to become a supervisor.



mailto:[email protected]?subject=Help%20Me%20Become%20a%20TCP3%20Supervisory%20User


2. Select the File You Want to Open.




Note: TCP3 automatically goes to your network TCP3\Temp directory and asks for all .csv files. If you saved the file elsewhere, you will need to navigate to it. Once you are done with a file, you might want to delete or archive it.




3. Open the Daunting Import File Form.




This will take a bit of explanation. First of all, the feed itself is a bit incomplete, and can often be in kind of a non-standard format, so you might get some warning messages when you try to open the file. On top of that, each new statute in the csv file is actually a packet of attributes, which TCP packages into a “Statute Set.” Each set is numbered with a Group Number, and you see only one line per packet at the top of the form, to try to keep the whole thing a bit more manageable. What TCP lists at the top of the form is the group number (“1”), then a notation if the statute is incomplete, that is, is missing an offense level (a good clue that it is something other than a charge), or the charge level (F,GM,M,P – we also use “U” if the offense level attribute is given, but for some reason there is no present value), the SSID number, then the statute, then a portion of the statute summary, and finally the effective and expiration dates for the statute. What you’ll want to look for are complete statutes where there is no expiration date (“no value”), because that indicates a current statute.




If you want to find more details you can consult the Details data grid below the checklist. Just scroll down to the group number of the statute you are interested in, and look for the “Statute Field Name” that you’d like more information on. For each attribute, there is a “Previous Value” and “Current Value,” to give you an idea how, if at all, a particular attribute is changing. There is also some information as to who made the change and why, if you are interested.




If you really want to dig into the weeds, click on the “View Source” button, which will open up the raw data that TCP is parsing. But we’ve found this not to be too necessary at this point.




4. Select your Statutes.




Using the above as a guide, put at check in the box next to the statute or statutes you want to import. Some appear to be duplications (they really aren’t), but we’ve found you’ll probably want to import the highest numbered group of a group of statutes with the same SSID. Once you’ve selected your statutes, press the Import button. TIP: You might want to have the actual statutory language and your MOC handbook handy for the next step.




5. Make Changes to Individual Statutes.




As we’ve indicated, the statutory feed is not complete. First TCP will ask you to change the name of the statute/charge now. It’s a good time to do it, because if you do it later, you will need to delete the old name later. Plus doing it now cuts down on overwriting statutes of the same name. TCP suggests a name that is the offense level followed by the underscore character (“_”) followed by the statute number, then the effective date, like the figure to the right.




That’s not too descriptive. We would change the name of the statute to something like “GM_Reckless Driving – Bodily Harm eff. 08/01/2015.” Whatever you do, it’s a good idea to have the offense level first, and an effective date at the end. That way, if the statute changes in 2016, you will have both versions nicely delineated in your charge stocks.




TCP will check to see if you have a charge with this exact same name, and invite you to change it if you want, but if you don’t, will overwrite your existing statute. That’s okay if you don’t need the old statute, or you need to update it, but remember: MOC codes and other custom information will be lost, so you might want to copy the charge out using the Charge tab “Copy” function first. You can cancel the import if you want to do this.




Next, TCP will ask if you want to add an MOC code. You don’t have to, but it’s going to be easier to do it here than later.




Finally, TCP will ask you if you want to change the violation text for this statute. TCP includes a generic text that basically boils down to: “On [date] in [jurisdiction], the above-named defendant did violate the above statute....” Everything after the word “did” is what you’d want to change. So in the reckless driving statute, you might want to fill in [did] “drive a motor vehicle recklessly and cause bodily injury....” or something like that. Again, you can change this language later on the Charges tab if you want, but it’s easier here.




Note: at any time you can press the cancel button to stop the import.




After the import, or cancelling the import of a particular statute, you can move on to your next one. When you’re done you can close out the form. As noted above, you might want to move the csv file to an archive so you don’t have to keep track of if you’ve already visited the file.




If you need to make changes to imported statutes, you can open up a new TCP file, go to the Charges tab, and follow the Help for amending or adding new statutes. You should at a minimum add an MOC, and you might want to add a penalty statute and/or change the charge language.




Contact the HelpDesk for any issues that arise.



mailto:[email protected]?subject=Help%20on%20Statute%20Import

prosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.usprosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/TCPGroup2/Docs/Impo… · Web...

Documents

Transcript of prosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.usprosecution.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/TCPGroup2/Docs/Impo… · Web...