Sheriff Hopes Faster Booking Aids Arrests
With more than 88,000 unserved warrants in Ventura County, sheriff’s officials have found a way to speed up the booking process in hopes of persuading local police agencies to arrest people sought for even the most minor violations.
Under Sheriff Larry Carpenter’s new express warrant arrest booking procedure, which goes into effect today, patrol officers need only transport a person to jail and fill out a warrant information sheet. The procedure will take about five to 10 minutes compared with the usual 45 minutes, said Sheriff’s Capt. Steve DeCesari.
Beat patrol officers have little choice but to focus on service calls, emergencies and high-bail felony warrants. With the time it takes to transport and book an arrestee, officers often are reluctant to serve misdemeanor and traffic warrant arrests, DeCesari said.
“Hopefully these agencies will take a new look at trying to arrest people on these warrants,” DeCesari said.
DeCesari said anyone with outstanding warrants should consider paying them off or risk being arrested at an inopportune time. “It might be better that they pick the time than have us do it for them,” he said.
The new service is available to all local law enforcement agencies, the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Fish and Game.
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