Meet A City Employee: Municipal Court Clerk Nallely Torres
Thursday, June 30th, 2022
The City of Dalton is special because of the people who work hard every day to make it the best place to live, work, and play in Georgia. The City is proud of the men and women working to serve our residents. This article is part of a continuing series of profiles we'll be running from time to time to spotlight the special people who are making a difference in our City.
Nallely Torres has worked for five years with the Dalton Municipal Court, the past two years as the clerk for the city solicitor. Here is an interview with Torres about her work with the court and her love for the City of Dalton:
So what do you do for the court?
I’m the city solicitor’s clerk. So, my job is to prepare for the bench trials. I subpoena the officers and any other witnesses that are involved in the case. And then I sit with her during court, pretty much type what she says, and that’s my job.
And the city solicitor acts as the prosecutor in the municipal court, correct?
Yes, she’s the prosecutor.
Municipal Court hears cases on misdemeanor charges like shoplifting cases or DUIs, etc. I imagine that a lot of work goes into preparing those trials.
It does. I have to read the police reports, getting any evidence for the city to prove their case.
That sounds like a very interesting job.
It is. It’s very interesting because I have to go through the reports, read all the reports, to get what I need to present to the prosecutor on that court date.
I know that it isn’t the same kind of cases, but I think when people watch shows like Law and Order they may think they know how court works. Do you watch shows like that?
I do and it’s very different because most of what you see on TV is felony charges and our court doesn’t do that. But it’s a different situation, a different scenario.
When you watch court shows, even though the types of cases are different, the procedures are the same in a lot of ways, do you think to yourself, “it doesn’t really work like that?”
Yes, and you think to yourself, “we don’t do it that way, we do it this way” but it’s a similar situation. There are things that are different, but I guess it’s depending on the charges and the show.
How long have you been with the court?
It will be five years on July 10th.
And have you worked as the solicitor’s clerk the entire time?
No, I started at the pay window (at the court office) and then I moved to the judge’s clerk and then I moved to the solicitor.
Was that by choice, because it interested you more?
No, what our office tries to do is to cross-train everybody so that way if someone is out for any reason you can fill in for that position. So we move around. But I’ve been in the solicitor’s position for a couple of years now.
And is it something you’re enjoying?
Oh yes, I love it. Every day is something different, every court date is something different. You learn about other cases every day, you learn different things and get to meet the people, you get to interact with the people and the attorneys.
What’s the atmosphere like in the court offices with the people you work with?
To me, they’re my family because I’m pretty much there 8 hours a day. I consider everybody my family and not just a coworker, including the judge and our supervisor Misty. I love it, I’m happy, I would not change it for anything.
Judge Cowan seems to place an emphasis not just on collecting fines, but on serving the community and making the experience for the people before the court as positive as possible. Is that part of your mission?
Yes. He is a great person, these past five years in the court room, he’s not just a judge. He treats everybody the same, he works with everybody. He’s there for the people. I don’t think it’s for the money for the court or for the city, I think it’s for the people. And that’s what I tell everybody, when you get a ticket you’re scared, “Oh, I have to go to court, am I going to jail?” I have had friends, or family members, they get tickets, it happens, and I tell them, “no, just go to court!” It’s not what people really think out there about the court… ourt scares you, but it shouldn’t. That’s what I like to tell the people that I know, it’s not as bad as you think it is. Just go talk to Judge Cowan. Or the prosecutor, Susan Beck!
Tell us about yourself, where are you from?
I was born in Chicago, Illinois. I lived there for nine years and then we moved to Washington state. We lived there for three years. And from there, we moved to Dalton, Georgia. We had family members here but we’d never been to Dalton. So my parents were like, “let’s pack our stuff, we’re moving to the Carpet Capital of the World!” And we came here and we’ve been here ever since. I consider myself to be from Georgia and not Chicago. I have siblings who were born here. I’m married, 17 years, I met my husband here. And I would not move back to Chicago or Washington.
And what do you do for fun?
I’m with my kids. I have two girls, I have a 15-year old and a 10-year old. My daughter goes to Dalton High School, she’s in the marching band so I’m there at the football games. My little one is at Westwood. So, my time is spent with my family, my siblings and my mother, because that’s pretty much all I have is my siblings and my mother.
What are your goals moving forward with the court?
My plans are to stay there as long as I can! I really enjoy it, I love what I do. I love to work with people and help people out. I started out working with probation, so I kinda knew what I was getting myself into [with the court], but I love it. I mean, I want to be part of city court. And, working for your city, what else can you ask for? I consider myself from Dalton and now I’m working with the City of Dalton, it’s a pleasure for me to be part of the City of Dalton.
