Warrant Round-up

Law enforcement agencies are hoping people choose to pay off their fines. So far dozens of people have come in to the city marshals office. Marshal, Charlie Caldwell, Jr. says, “The office has been flooded with people, about 50-60 individuals and they are still coming in to turn themselves in or work out a payment plan.” One benefit to the round-up is that people will usually come in to pay the fine to avoid the embarrassment of being arrested. That alone will bring in thousands of dollars in revenue for area law enforcement. Another benefit is that it will keep people out of an already crowded jail system which Marshal Caldwell admits has been a problem in the past. “Jail space is limited what you have to look at it depends on a crimes severity. When we get what we call short timers they have 2-3 days and its minor charges well make room for the more violent offenders,” says Caldwell. Taliaferro says jail space has not been a big problem at the city jail and does not expect the recent arrests through the round-up to affect jail space there. He says, “When a person turns themselves in, it’s a quick turnaround, especially with misdemeanors. They spend maybe 1 or 2 days maximum in jail.” And one of the biggest benefits is that it will help with the back log of warrants. Taliaferro says there are about 2100 The Shreveport Police Department is currently trying to clear up…but Caldwell says they have about 25,000 outstanding warrants. “When they see us out their doing some good its really good for the people and they like us getting out there and doing our job,” says Caldwell. All of the warrants executed Monday were for misdemeanor crimes like DUI offenses, traffic violations, and simple battery. The City Marshals Office and Shreveport Police Department plan to conduct another round-up focusing on domestic violence crimes next month. If you want to find out if you have an outstanding warrant, you can call the Warrants Office at the Shreveport Police Department at 673-7086 or 673-7091.