The Preliminary Hearing is not a trial. Rather the Preliminary Hearing is a court procedure, presided over by a Judge, and conducted to determine whether there is enough reason or evidence to go forward with a trial.

Where and when?

In Northeast Philadelphia Preliminary Hearings are conducted at the 8th Police District at the intersection of Red Lion and Academy Roads (next to Northeast Philadelphia Airport).

Arrive about 8 AM—no later than 8:15—as the Hearing begins at 8:30. There is limited free parking available in the 8th District’s visitor’s lot or on Red Lion Road.

Check in at the desk in the lobby with the Northeast Victim Service (NEVS) Court Advocate. NEVS’s Court Advocate will be able to tell you the name of the Assistant District Attorney (ADA) assigned to your case and answer any other questions you may have. NEVS’s Court Advocate is there to assist you—the victim or witness of crime.

Depending on the number and type of cases to be heard that day you may be at the 8th District for two to six hours.

The 8th District is wheelchair accessible. Child care facilities are not available. Smoking is not allowed in the building.

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