Why take ID info when no arrest made/citation issued?

[edg103]

Yeah, no kidding. I only work security, and there have been MANY times where I will catch a trespassing individual, contact the police, the police will check them for warrants, they HAVE warrants, and they gut cut loose. It's very frustrating. They get cited for trespassing, but still, they won't show up for their court date, and another goddamn misdemeanor trespass warrant will be issued that the jail again WILL NOT take on the next time the scum bag is contacted.

Basically, the officer has dispatch check the guy for warrants, the dispatcher radioes back the info (Ex: "Misdemeanor warrant out of P.D. BLANK for possession of a controlled substance...blah blah"), the officer asks if the jail will take on the warrant, and the dispatcher ALMOST ALWAYS answers that they will not.

Like I said, the jail will usually take on felony warrants, but shockingly enough, I have heard them denied if they're not for a violent offense. They're really just busting at the seams. We desperately need another jail.

Sounds like you need new county commissioners too.

[Puget Sound]

Sounds like you need new county commissioners too.

Absolutely. It's frustrating for me just working security because we catch a lot of people trying to burglarize businesses, steal property, etc. But you can't IMAGINE how frustrated the local and county police are around here when they start talking to you about it.

[Photogrrlz]

Anytime my department makes an officer initiated stop we have to fill out a form 0016 to issue the person. A copy goes the stopped subject and the white copy gets turned in.

[SinePari]

Anyway, so my question is, how often do you all run across people with warrants who you can't arrest?

Never. Like said before, we arrest, then the courts and jails decide what to do with them. I think you're confused about when someone gets arrested because of a warrant, they can still post bail and a court clerk may decide to let him go (again, duh).

We as LEOs legally do not have a choice. Does it happen? Yeah, but there's a reason someone has a warrant, and it's our job to make sure we keep customers coming into the system.

[Bodie]

If we cut somebody loose on a warrant it's only a fine not paid etc that the jail won't accept. So that's is called an order in not really a warrant.

Any officer here that does not arrest an individual that he contacts that has a warrant will be answering to the courts himself as to why he failed to arrest.

[Kevin_Callahan]

Here is the way I operate.....STOP everyone...ID everyone.....FILE CHECK everyone.

[Puget Sound]

Never. Like said before, we arrest, then the courts and jails decide what to do with them. I think you're confused about when someone gets arrested because of a warrant, they can still post bail and a court clerk may decide to let him go (again, duh).

We as LEOs legally do not have a choice. Does it happen? Yeah, but there's a reason someone has a warrant, and it's our job to make sure we keep customers coming into the system.

No, seriously. There are warrants that the jail will not accept at times. And misdemeanor warrants it seems they will NOT accept more often than they will. When there are warrants (10-21's...Mary's are misdeameanors, Frank's are felonies) the officer asks if the jail will take on the warrant, and the dispatcher advises yes or no. It's called "booking restrictions."

Read the following...straight from the Jail's mouth:

[QUOTE]The Corrections Department formed a Booking Restrictions Committee that is attended by a member of each law enforcement agency, the Prosecutor, Director of 911, Director of Records and the Superior Court Clerk. The purpose of this Committee was to establish a communication avenue between all facets of the Criminal Justice Community to better understand and work together in solving problems. The Jail, along with each member of this committee, works together to problem solve issues associated with the booking restrictions.

Currently, when the inmate population exceeds 220, restrictions are placed on certain non-violent misdemeanor arrests i.e.: shoplifting, car prowl, and petty theft. Felonies, DUI

[Ninjagirl]

Personally, I run everyone....you never know who you're dealing with, no matter how "clean cut" they look.

Reminds me of a party trick I like to play when hanging with my cop friends....somewhere during any conversation I pull out my DL just to see if they will unconsciously run it...99% do lol

[Puget Sound]

Sorry--off topic.

[Blue Leader]

Interesting stuff about MISD warrants. I guess every place is different. When I first started in the 80's, everything "could" go to jail. Then due to jail overcrowding, no MISD's **at all**...no warrants, no petty theft, no battery, no nothing. Everybody received a citation.

Now for the past several years, we can book just about everything again. HOWEVER, most guys don't book MISD warrants if the bail doesn't reach at least $5000 unless the guys a total butt-head.

I know of several smaller departments in our county that actually have policies that prohibit officers from booking MISD warrants where the bail is lower than $xxxx amount....not sure what those amounts are for particular depts though.

[gotthblues]

Interesting stuff about MISD warrants. I guess every place is different. When I first started in the 80's, everything "could" go to jail. Then due to jail overcrowding, no MISD's **at all**...no warrants, no petty theft, no battery, no nothing. Everybody received a citation.

Now for the past several years, we can book just about everything again. HOWEVER, most guys don't book MISD warrants if the bail doesn't reach at least $5000 unless the guys a total butt-head.

I know of several smaller departments in our county that actually have policies that prohibit officers from booking MISD warrants where the bail is lower than $xxxx amount....not sure what those amounts are for particular depts though.

wow,,thats wrong,,,here the statute requires that you arrest,,if you dont, you violate the statutes,,however, if the judge wants to pr bond them,,thats his call.

[Blue Leader]

The reason that guys from our dept don't bother with lower $$ amount warrants is TIME....you're out of the field for quiet a while since we have some areas that are at least 30-35 miles from the jail. If we all made a consceince decision to run everybody we contact and took all MISD warrants to jail...we could deplete literally 98% of the officers in the field.


The reason smaller dept's don't book small MISD warrants is financial. The way the system is set up here, the CITY that books a person into the COUNTY'S jail pays a "fee" for every booking. I have no idea what the amount is or how it works. It doesn't apply to our Dept since we are a huge City that helped pay for the jail to begin with. I'd guess that our Dept books more people than the County S.O. and **all** the other smaller cities in the county COMBINED.

[gotthblues]

thats the way it is here too,,we paid for our arrestees,,our capts. were divided on the issue though,,,some were hard core, if its arrestable, then ya better dang well arrest,others said, do what you want, if the jail called and asked us to use descretion, we would,,but if the terd was being a terd,,then they got yanked off the street.

[Bodie]

Interesting this is ASK A COP and Puget Sound who is a security guard is answering posts. Is anybody paying attention ???

[Puget Sound]

Interesting this is ASK A COP and Puget Sound who is a security guard is answering posts. Is anybody paying attention ???

I'm sorry, I asked a follow-up question which is permitted by the rules. Then people subsequently asked me follow-up questions...or at least comments that required further clarification. I didn't stray from the topic at hand. I did make one errant post not related to the topic which I deleted. My apologies.