Updates on COVID-19

Please refer to this page for any updates on the operations of Total Court Services.

3/28/2020 8:45AM
MICHIGAN INTERLOCK CLIENTS

Though the Governor issued a shelter in place declaration, some businesses, such as ours, remain essential and can stay open for business. This includes auto repair facilities such as the ones that assist us in servicing our clients’ vehicles for interlock. Since we believe strongly in working with small business, often times family owned, some of our facilities have opted to reduce hours in order to continue to provide a safe work environment for their staff and to continue to employ as many people as possible. As a result, we have had to shift appointments around in order to accommodate these changes in days and hours of operation. We apologize for any inconvenience, however, we continue to operate at normal capacity in our office and we are diligently monitoring all of our facilities in order to best reschedule our clients for required service. The state of Michigan is not allowing any deviation from your interlock program, therefore you must still maintain your calibration appointments. It is extremely important that you ensure you keep your appointment because it may be difficult to reschedule you before possibly going into lockout. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

3/21/2020 8:00AM
ALL CLIENTS & PARTNERS

In an effort to respect our employees’ desire to protect their families from any potential outside exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus) Total Court Services’ Client Services and Compliance Departments will be working remotely starting on Monday March 23, 2020. There will be no interruptions to services for our valued clients nor will their be delays in reporting to our partner courts and agencies. All staff are still available by calling our general number (888-889-6989), emailing our general inboxes, individual staff inboxes or calling individual staff extensions. We are not experiencing delays in answering calls, nor replying to emailed questions or concerns. We do ask that all callers be understanding if you happen to hear children or pets in the background while our staff work from remote locations which most often means working from home.

We are doing everything we can to ensure that we maintain our high levels of clients services during these difficult times. During this time our office will remain open and operational on a strict appointment-only basis. Most service centers are still operating at normal levels, and those that have reduced hours or traffic have already had appointments rescheduled. Our field staff continues to perform all necessary functions as it pertains to routine maintenance of equipment and all scheduled appointments are still being honored.

3/20/2020 8:00AM
ALL INTERLOCK CLIENTS

Important Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I still need to go to my service center for calibrations?

In the states for which we provide services, no changes or updates to program policy or guidelines have been instituted. For the foreseeable future, you must appear for all appointments as designated. If your service center were to close or modify their operations we will be in contact with you as soon as we are notified and make other arrangements for you. Please remember that your service center—in most cases—is an independent contractor and therefore can make their own decisions about operations. We are working diligently to ensure little to no interuption of your services.

Will Total Court Services Client Services Department still be available in the case that I need to contact you?

Yes, we are committed to supporting our clients, partner courts and agencies and state programs, and will be available through our regular channels, including email, and phone. We have activated our emergency protocols and have staff available to work remotely in the event that our main office is forced to shut down. We WILL be there for you. We are currently experiencing hold times of less than one minute!

How does TCS ensure that the device is sanitary during calibrations?

We have recommended that our technicians and service centers take the following precautions during device calibrations:

  • Wipe down their station after each calibration with disinfectant.
  • Following calibration, wipe the device with disinfectant wipes and adhere to a 20 minute delay before having the client submit a sample to avoid any detection of alcohol in the disinfectant ingredients.
  • Customers may be requested to remain at the service center for the duration of their appointment in order to provide needed samples to their device.

3/18/2020 6:00AM
ALL CLIENTS & PARTNER AGENCIES
TCS has activated all emergency protocols. Though we are still operating from our main office, all operational and support level staff have been outfitted with portable work stations as well as telephones in the event we are in a situation where travel may no longer be optional. Our toll free number 888-889-6989 will still be your primary method of contacting us. We do not expect to have significant hold times, however you may contact us in other ways. You can visit either the Client Information section or the Courts & Agencies section in order to contact us using the appropriate informational form. A member of our staff will respond as soon as we are able.

3/17/2020 10:00AM
ALL INTERLOCK CLIENTS
Cold, flu, and the recent spread of COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus) have many clients concerned about their ignition interlock device’s hygiene and continued servicing.

Steps for cleaning and sanitizing your IID
To keep devices sanitary, ignition interlock clients should use these best practices to avoid spreading a virus or other germs:

  • Keep extra mouthpieces on hand to avoid sharing – extra mouthpieces are available at your local interlock location or calling our main office at 888-889-6989
  • Clean your mouthpiece regularly with warm water and soap and dry before use
  • Clean off the outside of your device by using a disinfectant to avoid surface germs
  • If someone else must drive your car, thoroughly clean the exterior of the device before and after, and use an extra mouthpiece or freshly sanitized mouthpiece.  We would recommend allowing at least 20 minutes between disinfecting the device and providing a breath sample.
  • Reminder – DO NOT put any liquid down inside of the device. Clients are responsible for any damages to the device.

The health and well-being of our clients, employees, and the general public remains top of mind and our highest priority. We will continue to act thoughtfully to aid clients and provide any information on state changes, should any occur. Any states announcing changes will be listed on this page with an update.

3/17/2020 7:15AM
A MESSAGE FOR ALL CLIENTS

We are in unprecedented times. With the ongoing spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the incredible speed at which things are changing around us, we are continually reaching out to our reporting agencies for any updates.  At this time, there are no updates and all appointments are still scheduled for their regular times.  Please remember to continue to abide to your program requirements: complete testing when requested, uploading when required, and remaining current with your financial obligations.

Thank you for your patience during this ever changing time.

3/14/2020 6:00AM
MICHIGAN INTERLOCK CLIENTS:
There are no updates to report at this time and all appointments are still scheduled for the following days and weeks. However, we would like to provide some additional precautions you can take while on the program to ensure that you stay safe and healthy:

  • Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze;
  • Throw all used tissues in the trash right away and wash your hands immediately after handling used tissues;
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth;
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, such as door handles and counter tops, using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Do not allow other people, except our certified technicians, to handle your interlock device

3/13/2020 12:00PM
MICHIGAN INTERLOCK CLIENTS:
As of now, the state of Michigan has not made any changes to the ignition interlock program guidelines. All scheduled service, removal, calibration and installation appointments are still valid. The state of Michigan expects all clients, at this time, to continue to follow all program rules, guidelines and schedules for service. Our Client Services Department will contact you individually if any appointments must be rescheduled.

We will be sending out information via our automated notification system. If we do not have your cell phone or email address on file, please go to our Client Services Contact Page to send us your email and cell phone number. We will continue to update this page, and send out information to our clients when available.

3/13/2020 10:45AM
COURTS & AGENCIES:
Total Court Services is dedicated to maintaining a high level of service to our partner courts and agencies. We are monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 virus, commonly referred to as the coronavirus. As the situation evolves, we need to be cognizant of the health and safety of our staff, partners and clients.

Leadership staff will continue to stay abreast of the changing circumstances over the weekend and continue to keep our partner courts and agencies updated with specific information as it pertains to our operations. We know that we carry a responsibility, as do you, to maintain a high level of community safety while we monitor more than 4,000 clients across the Midwest on various technologies and monitoring protocols.

In the event that we have to take unprecedented steps to ensure the safety and health of all parties, we will provide as much information as we possibly can. We are preparing the following measures to ensure necessary operations will remain intact:

  • We are activating our emergency protocols to enable remote operations by our Compliance and Client Services Departments
  • We are working with our support vendors to ensure that our monitoring center has their redundancies activated
  • We are working with our manufacturers—whose supply chains have been impacted significantly—to ensure adequate supplies of equipment and consumables necessary for operations
  • Though we have not done so at this time, we are preparing to suspend all nonessential activities so we can ensure timely delivery of services
  • As of now, all field operations are active and any services scheduled for clients are going to be honored

We have reports of many of our courts and agencies already closing. If you are closing, or considering a closure, please let us know so that we can properly account for those changes in operations. We will continue to update our partners as new or changing information is made available. Please stay safe and let our account team know if we can help in any way.