Full Transcript for Warrant amnesty program gives citizens a second chance

them from going to court again. 00:02:11.888 --> 00:02:16.608 And nowadays, with all the data centers and all that, people are very concerned 00:02:16.608 --> 00:02:22.918 about their record following them for 10, 15 years. So I really do help educate 00:02:22.918 --> 00:02:26.111 them on how they can clear their record if they're going to be a good citizen. 00:02:26.356 --> 00:02:31.128 And what you do directly impacts our community. So what are some of the ways 00:02:31.128 --> 00:02:35.551 that your job and your staff at the court help our community? 00:02:35.736 --> 00:02:40.368 And that's the joy too with the court is we're helping the local community. 00:02:41.148 --> 00:02:45.458 We do a lot of education because most people are representing themselves. 00:02:45.458 --> 00:02:47.708 They can hire an attorney, but most, 00:02:49.344 --> 00:02:53.149 do a lot of education. We teach them their options. 00:02:53.721 --> 00:02:56.669 We're not giving them legal advice, but we give them options. 00:02:56.669 --> 00:03:03.259 And we try to make it as less bumpy as possible, but also making sure that people 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:04.759 don't return again to court. 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:08.775 So we want to make sure that for some, it's a deterrent. 00:03:09.274 --> 00:03:13.649 For other people, it's an education because a lot, especially college kids come 00:03:13.649 --> 00:03:15.189 here, they've never lived on their own. 00:03:15.578 --> 00:03:18.405 The city ordinances are not something they necessarily know. 00:03:18.660 --> 00:03:23.299 So we teach them a lot about the different laws we have in our court. 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:28.149 And I really do enjoy the fact that I'm seeing people from across the community 00:03:28.149 --> 00:03:33.459 and the crimes are not as serious as a felony crime or something like that. 00:03:33.459 --> 00:03:39.029 Right. So what changes for you in the fall? I know it's the changing of the 00:03:39.029 --> 00:03:41.129 season, the weather's starting to get a little cooler. We hope, 00:03:41.809 --> 00:03:43.610 We hope. We hope. We hope. Knock on wood. 00:03:43.883 --> 00:03:48.639 But we've talked to a lot of other city employees and this time of year, 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:54.009 things kind of begin to change for them in their day to day jobs. So what changes for you? 00:03:54.429 --> 00:03:57.279 Well, we've I think we've already had three home football weekends. 00:03:57.279 --> 00:04:02.349 And so Texas A&M's football schedule has an impact because we see a lot of minor, 00:04:02.349 --> 00:04:05.389 you know, a lot of alcohol cases and most of them are minor in possession of 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:07.299 alcohol, public intoxication. 00:04:07.299 --> 00:04:11.229 They all come out of the Northgate entertainment area. In the last several years, 00:04:11.229 --> 00:04:16.907 we've seen, due to lots of factors, there's so many people who live around the Northgate area. 00:04:17.256 --> 00:04:21.699 There's a lot more, you know, underage students, and not just students, 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:23.972 but individuals in our town. 00:04:24.349 --> 00:04:28.489 So the fall really does bring a lot more cases in terms of that. 00:04:28.489 --> 00:04:31.519 We've also, and I don't know that it's a fall thing, but it's happened now in 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.469 the fall, a lot more construction. 00:04:33.469 --> 00:04:37.199 Everyone's familiar with all the construction. Well, that can have a big impact 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:42.049 if you're speeding and you're not following the 60 mile per hour on the highway 00:04:42.049 --> 00:04:44.964 or the 45 mile per hour on the feeders. 00:04:45.320 --> 00:04:47.886 If you don't follow that and you get a speeding ticket, 00:04:48.431 --> 00:04:52.414 and there's workers present, which there's a danger to those workers present, 00:04:52.762 --> 00:04:55.240 you can't do defensive driving or deferred. 00:04:55.580 --> 00:04:59.650 So it's a permanent conviction on your driving record. And so we've seen an 00:04:59.650 --> 00:05:04.453 uptick in that just because of all the construction that has been going on this fall. 00:05:04.836 --> 00:05:09.620 Yes, definitely drive safely in those work zones. So how can people contact 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.385 you today if they have questions about anything that we cover? 00:05:12.698 --> 00:05:19.130 Well, one, they can call our number. It's 979-764-3683. And during our working 00:05:19.130 --> 00:05:22.369 hours, we're always happy to help. You can leave a voicemail. 00:05:22.776 --> 00:05:28.482 But we have a very good website as well, cstx.gov and then slash courts, 00:05:28.703 --> 00:05:33.887 where you can do so much online. You can pay your fine, request deferred, 00:05:34.322 --> 00:05:36.134 request defensive driving now. 00:05:36.407 --> 00:05:41.474 You can look up to see if you have a warrant or a family member has an arrest warrant. 00:05:41.811 --> 00:05:45.915 So people love using websites, and we recognize that. 00:05:46.304 --> 00:05:51.020 There's forms on there. We also have a YouTube channel where you can learn about 00:05:51.020 --> 00:05:56.434 how to clear your case, how to take care of a traffic ticket or an alcohol beverage code case. 00:05:56.794 --> 00:06:02.480 So we do as much as we can to reach people and allow them to reach us without 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:07.891 having to stand. You can always come to court, but we try to eliminate as much as possible. 00:06:08.181 --> 00:06:12.710 You're coming to court in person and coming multiple times. So we try to do 00:06:12.710 --> 00:06:15.460 as much as we can to make it efficient for the citizen. 00:06:15.803 --> 00:06:22.140 Yes. Very easy. Now, talking about the fall warrant amnesty and roundup, 00:06:22.140 --> 00:06:28.350 could you briefly explain what the amnesty period is and why our court has chosen to adopt it? 00:06:28.350 --> 00:06:28.793 Sure. 00:06:29.434 --> 00:06:33.647

Starting October 12th and for three weeks, so till the 30th, 00:06:33.647 --> 00:06:37.687 I think, the day before Halloween, we have an amnesty. And we've done this twice 00:06:37.687 --> 00:06:39.517 a year for many years now. 00:06:40.377 --> 00:06:44.117 You've been very helpful in getting the word out. And what that means is if 00:06:44.117 --> 00:06:48.560 you have a warrant and you come to our court and take care of it, 00:06:48.949 --> 00:06:54.661 then we will not only waive the warrant fee, which has gone up the past year to $75 per case, 00:06:55.369 --> 00:07:01.691 But you also won't be arrested. And it's a win for us, too, because you're taking care of your case. 00:07:01.691 --> 00:07:05.911 You're talking to us. So we hold that during that three-week period. 00:07:05.911 --> 00:07:10.611 Now, if you have an arrest warrant outstanding and you're driving around and 00:07:10.611 --> 00:07:14.281 a police officer stops you and they'll see the warrant, you will get arrested 00:07:14.281 --> 00:07:17.634 even during the amnesty period. You have to come to court, reach out to us. 00:07:18.081 --> 00:07:23.584 But it really, it's allowed us to, you know, encourage people to clear their case. 00:07:23.938 --> 00:07:28.471 And I'm very happy to waive the warrant fee. It's great for anyone that has 00:07:28.471 --> 00:07:32.781 an arrest warrant because it's, you know, even for a class C misdemeanor, 00:07:32.781 --> 00:07:37.111 if you get arrested, then you have a booking photo on the internet with Brazos 00:07:37.111 --> 00:07:38.741 County, it's not pleasant. 00:07:38.741 --> 00:07:44.431 So we've done that twice a year in terms of an amnesty and we offer it for three 00:07:44.431 --> 00:07:48.218 weeks and it goes until October 30th and starts October 12th. 00:07:48.538 --> 00:07:51.811 Yes, and times are tough right now financially for a lot of people. 00:07:51.811 --> 00:07:56.734 So anything we can do to help alleviate that burden, that's what we're here for. 00:07:56.931 --> 00:08:05.186 And since the program began in 2007, over 7,000 warrants worth over $2 million have been cleared. 00:08:05.587 --> 00:08:09.601 What trends or patterns have you observed over the years during this program? 00:08:10.001 --> 00:08:14.431 Well, you know, it's harder and harder to reach people because they have different 00:08:14.431 --> 00:08:18.065 ways. But we text people now, and that works really well. 00:08:18.581 --> 00:08:22.841 We text people all the time and that gets people in, you know, 00:08:22.841 --> 00:08:24.671 better than arresting and other things. 00:08:24.671 --> 00:08:29.351 And I'm all for that. So I've noticed a change in trying to contact people because 00:08:29.351 --> 00:08:32.851 a lot of times people just forget or they put it out. 00:08:32.851 --> 00:08:36.961 They're not really trying to hide out. And so if we can contact them and get 00:08:36.961 --> 00:08:39.871 them to come to court, which is always better for them. So

I've noticed that. 00:08:40.167 --> 00:08:43.851 I've noticed during the spring, you know, people get their internal revenue 00:08:43.851 --> 00:08:48.265 checked. So sometimes they wait till then, but, you know, you really need to, 00:08:48.683 --> 00:08:51.197 if you, and the other thing is if you, 00:08:51.777 --> 00:08:56.388 Not sure what court, contact us. We're very good about telling you that it's 00:08:56.388 --> 00:08:58.029 at the JP court or not here. 00:08:58.197 --> 00:09:03.028 The JP courts also have always participated with us in the warrant amnesty. 00:09:03.028 --> 00:09:04.998 So I'm sure they will this year. 00:09:05.318 --> 00:09:10.818 And, but, you know, any person we get in is a good, so you listed all the warrants 00:09:10.818 --> 00:09:14.370 we've cleared and that's why we've done it. That's why we went to twice a year. 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:19.968 But reaching people has become different. I've noticed through the years and 00:09:19.968 --> 00:09:21.918 that's fine. We'll just try to keep up with that. 00:09:21.918 --> 00:09:26.468 Yeah, we try to meet you where you're at. But now, after the amnesty period, 00:09:26.468 --> 00:09:29.750 the warrant roundup starts. What does that look like? 00:09:30.151 --> 00:09:34.504 From about October 31st, so Halloween, and until November 8th, 00:09:34.870 --> 00:09:36.966 during that week, it's about nine days. 00:09:37.663 --> 00:09:42.512 Chances are, if you have a warrant and you didn't come in, officers will look 00:09:42.832 --> 00:09:46.012 for those warrants and they will emphasize that. And there's a good chance you'll 00:09:46.012 --> 00:09:48.077 get arrested. So we call that the roundup. 00:09:48.455 --> 00:09:53.301 These are warrants that are outstanding anyway. And so during that period, 00:09:54.292 --> 00:09:55.612 officers will concentrate on that. 00:09:55.612 --> 00:09:59.162 And that's just an incentive to get people to come in. Now, if you call the 00:09:59.162 --> 00:10:02.842 court at any point and you come to our court, we're not going to arrest you 00:10:02.842 --> 00:10:07.282 on our court grounds and you cooperate, then we'll always work with you. 00:10:07.282 --> 00:10:08.812 Even during that roundup period. 00:10:09.538 --> 00:10:13.722 But we've had that as well, just as an incentive for people to come in during 00:10:13.722 --> 00:10:17.732 the amnesty and just get the word out because warrants are warrants and they're 00:10:17.732 --> 00:10:22.344 telling an officer to arrest a person because you have not communicated with the court. 00:10:22.692 --> 00:10:27.802 And so we do everything we can to give you notice, to communicate with you, 00:10:27.802 --> 00:10:30.035 and hopefully people will communicate back. 00:10:30.209 --> 00:10:31.792 And are there any measures in 00:10:31.792 --> 00:10:37.040 place to ensure fairness and avoid wrongful arrests or minimize conflicts? 00:10:37.400 --> 00:10:41.062 As an example, for people who might have missed

their notices or had any technical 00:10:41.062 --> 00:10:44.262 issues, their phone number might have changed, they don't have access to their 00:10:44.262 --> 00:10:45.732 email, things like that. 00:10:46.045 --> 00:10:49.052 Well, it starts off when you sign the ticket. And a lot of people, 00:10:49.052 --> 00:10:51.292 you know, they're upset they got a ticket and they'll tell the officer, 00:10:51.292 --> 00:10:54.502 I don't want to sign it. But when you sign that ticket, that is your bond. 00:10:54.502 --> 00:10:56.082 That's your promise to appear. 00:10:56.448 --> 00:11:00.062 So we look to that and make sure that you have notice. And it says, 00:11:00.062 --> 00:11:05.292 you know, and officers now have mobile cameras. And so that's where it starts 00:11:05.292 --> 00:11:11.377 off. Notice is my main concern. I don't want anyone to get arrested who truly had no idea. 00:11:11.783 --> 00:11:15.652 But then we call, we change a due date. 00:11:16.172 --> 00:11:22.441 If people don't come in, we call, we text, we send to the last known address. We do everything. 00:11:22.616 --> 00:11:25.611 We don't put people in warrant until over a month afterwards. 00:11:25.948 --> 00:11:31.162 And so we do everything. But ultimately, if people have notice and they just 00:11:31.162 --> 00:11:36.442 choose not to come in, then that warrant goes out. But we do everything and 00:11:36.442 --> 00:11:39.868 we urge people to give, you know, the cell phone is the number one. 00:11:40.750 --> 00:11:45.957 That's associated with individuals. People move around all the time here. 00:11:46.334 --> 00:11:49.789 And so, you know, giving that cell phone is so helpful because, 00:11:49.789 --> 00:11:55.169 again, we will remind people you need the alcohol awareness class certificate 00:11:55.169 --> 00:11:56.589 in or whatever they're doing. 00:11:56.589 --> 00:12:03.049 And so keeping the court informed will prevent you from getting into Warn as 00:12:03.049 --> 00:12:05.619 well. So we do everything we can to avoid the arrest. 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:08.463 That's the last thing I want to do is to have you get arrested. 00:12:08.747 --> 00:12:13.499 Right. Now, do you have any advice for someone who may have a warrant or may 00:12:13.499 --> 00:12:15.359 not be sure if they have a warrant? 00:12:15.609 --> 00:12:18.849 What is the first step they should take in getting their case settled? 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:23.085 Either call the court or you can look it up online online. 00:12:23.666 --> 00:12:28.202 To check and just double check. Again, that'll let you know. 00:12:28.202 --> 00:12:31.352 Or you can come by the court if you want. But if you really aren't sure, 00:12:31.352 --> 00:12:33.035 but we can clear it up because we'll know. 00:12:33.389 --> 00:12:36.752 And we'll also be able to direct you if it's another court or answer a question. 00:12:36.752 --> 00:12:40.932 And there's no penalty to do that. So that's the number one, make contact. 00:12:40.932

--> 00:12:43.582 Because once you've made contact, then we can let you know. Now, 00:12:43.582 --> 00:12:47.632 if you make contact and you say, oh, I'll be in and you don't ever come in, 00:12:47.832 --> 00:12:49.732 And we've noted that you said that. 00:12:49.732 --> 00:12:54.632 And if you never come in, then the warrant will stay active or you can get arrested. 00:12:54.632 --> 00:12:59.780 But making contact is the number one. And you can do it through phone, online, or in person. 00:13:00.572 --> 00:13:04.842 And update. If you give us your cell phone, then we will keep in contact with you. 00:13:04.842 --> 00:13:09.442 We will update you on what's going on. And we will explain the law to you so 00:13:09.442 --> 00:13:12.935 you understand your rights. Because it's important. I want to be efficient, 00:13:13.249 --> 00:13:17.997 but you also have a right to a jury trial. You have a right to all sorts of things if you want. 00:13:18.264 --> 00:13:22.442 A bench trial. Most people ask for a bench trial with me because if a jury convicts 00:13:22.442 --> 00:13:25.155 you, you can't have deferred or defensive driving. 00:13:25.550 --> 00:13:28.922 But you have a right to a trial if you want or to see the prosecutor. 00:13:28.922 --> 00:13:31.312 So we can explain all that to you. 00:13:31.772 --> 00:13:34.640 You can look at our website and read that. But if you think you have a warrant, 00:13:34.884 --> 00:13:39.824 you probably need to contact us as soon as possible to make sure that you get that taken care of. 00:13:40.137 --> 00:13:42.314 Right. Don't be afraid to ask questions. No. 00:13:42.831 --> 00:13:47.672 Okay. Do you have any final thoughts about the warrant amnesty and roundup period? 00:13:48.267 --> 00:13:52.937 Main thing is contact us. If you think a family member may have it or a child 00:13:52.937 --> 00:13:54.927 or anything, let them know. 00:13:54.927 --> 00:13:58.007 You can look up, like I said, you can look up the warrant list. 00:13:58.007 --> 00:14:04.982 We keep that updated and just contact us and we'll answer any questions that you may have because 00:14:05.353 --> 00:14:10.117 the last thing I want is for you to be arrested after on Halloween or something, 00:14:10.117 --> 00:14:13.047 you know, something like You want everything to be taken care of. 00:14:13.047 --> 00:14:16.357 And also the other thing is we work with people. If you're indigent, 00:14:16.357 --> 00:14:19.231 if you're homeless, if you're, you know, we work with people. 00:14:19.608 --> 00:14:22.627 There are, there's community service. There's all sorts of programs that we 00:14:22.627 --> 00:14:25.767 can do to make sure that you are successful. 00:14:25.767 --> 00:14:30.687 So we, we, we look at all that and give you a chance to tell us about your situation 00:14:30.687 --> 00:14:34.227 if you want to. So some people think, oh, I'm going to owe it immediately when 00:14:34.227 --> 00:14:36.592 I walk in. No, we will work with you. 00:14:37.061 --> 00:14:41.670 And so the main thing is contact us and we can can can help you with all of that. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:46.627 All right. Now, before we go, we do have a quick round of this or that style 00:14:46.627 --> 00:14:50.851 questions, all related to coming to court and the war and amnesty period. 00:14:51.158 --> 00:14:53.987 So you just say the first answer that pops into your head. Are you ready? 00:14:54.307 --> 00:14:54.917 I'm all set. 00:14:54.917 --> 00:14:58.328 OK. Paying fines online or in person at the court? 00:14:58.775 --> 00:15:02.517 I would say online. People like it. You get a receipt, you get all that. 00:15:02.875 --> 00:15:06.143 The only thing I would say is if you pay online and you have questions, 00:15:06.457 --> 00:15:11.507 then maybe you want to go in person or call us. But online works great. And people love that. 00:15:12.067 --> 00:15:13.597 Yes, that's how I pay all my bills. 00:15:13.597 --> 00:15:16.052 Yeah, that's the way we do everything. 00:15:16.215 --> 00:15:21.039 If you could eliminate one common misconception about the municipal court, what would it be? 00:15:21.463 --> 00:15:27.977 I think that it's an obstacle course or that it's people related. 00:15:27.977 --> 00:15:32.725 Sometimes they talk about going to the driver's license office or things like that. 00:15:32.970 --> 00:15:35.617 And I understand, or a doctor's office, where you're waiting around. 00:15:35.948 --> 00:15:40.627 We do everything to make your trip efficient and explain things to you. 00:15:41.127 --> 00:15:44.270 And so I think most, I mean, people aren't happy they got a ticket. 00:15:44.514 --> 00:15:45.667 They're not, you know, it's not like shopping. 00:15:45.687 --> 00:15:47.602 It's not a fun time. No, it's not a fun time. 00:15:47.933 --> 00:15:52.027 But I think people appreciate we help them out. And we do believe in customer 00:15:52.027 --> 00:15:56.321 service in terms of allowing people to tell us what they need to say, 00:15:56.594 --> 00:15:58.697 but also to make sure they understand. 00:15:58.697 --> 00:16:01.807 Because if you understand what's going on, then you're at least going to be 00:16:01.807 --> 00:16:04.198 happier with the process. And that's what we work on. 00:16:04.413 --> 00:16:09.864 Right. If the War at Amnesty and Roundup period were a movie, what would the title be? 00:16:10.417 --> 00:16:13.621 I would probably safe harbor because if you come to our court, 00:16:13.621 --> 00:16:17.871 and this is true all the time, even if you're in warrant and you cooperate with 00:16:17.871 --> 00:16:20.768 us and, you know, you don't just wave hi and run out. 00:16:21.133 --> 00:16:24.681 But if you cooperate, then we will take you out of warrant and work with you. 00:16:24.681 --> 00:16:27.651 So I would say like safe harbor. I don't know if there's a movie called that, 00:16:27.651 --> 00:16:28.891 but that's what I would call it. 00:16:28.891 --> 00:16:32.768 That's a good one. A quick stop at court or a long stay in jail. 00:16:33.250 --> 00:16:37.331 Definitely a quick stop in court that no one, no matter what, 00:16:37.696 --> 00:16:41.701 wants to be arrested and go to jail. that that's not a good thing. 00:16:42.304 --> 00:16:47.819 And then finally what is one piece of advice you wish everyone knew about dealing with court business 00:16:48.324 --> 00:16:54.121 That we're not there to humiliate you or to make you feel bad we're there to help you 00:16:54.501 --> 00:17:00.321 and make the process as understandable and as smooth as possible so that's what 00:17:00.321 --> 00:17:03.691 i want people to understand we're there to help we truly want to help you we're 00:17:03.691 --> 00:17:06.271 not your attorney but we're there to help you well. 00:17:06.271 --> 00:17:08.171 Thank you so much for being here today thank 00:17:08.171 --> 00:17:08.861 You Thank you, thank you. 00:17:08.861 --> 00:17:09.958 And that's what's up.