New Marshal Unit to track outstanding warrants

Outstanding misdemeanor warrants filed in Municipal Court will be enforced expeditiously and efficiently under the City’s new Marshal Unit.

The program utilizes a marshal unit comprised of a City Marshal, two new Deputy City Marshals, and support staff to first notify people with outstanding warrants via telephone of their violation with the court. Once a person has been notified and given the opportunity to clear the warrant but fails to do so, a marshal will then personally visit their home or place of employment to arrest them on the outstanding warrant.

“The message we want to send to people who knowingly and willfully ignore the Court is that everyday is a warrant roundup day,” said Judge John Bull, Municipal Court Presiding Judge. “If you do not take the opportunity to pay your fines after receiving multiple notices by mail and a phone call from the Marshal Unit, a marshal will actively pursue you and place you under arrest.”

The Marshal Unit is comprised of law enforcement officers certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. Deputy City Marshals wear uniforms and badges and drive marked vehicles with a San Antonio Marshal logo. The unit began operations on January 2 and is averaging eight arrests per day. Outstanding warrants pursued by the marshals have included people with fines for traffic and code compliance violations. One recent case involved a citizen who had numerous warrants for code compliance violations and was arrested and brought before a judge. As a result, the individual paid in excess of $2,000 on fines and permit fees.

“Nearly 130,000 outstanding warrants are signed by the court every year. People who do not want a tarnished record voluntarily come down here and clear their warrants. But then there are a large number of people who refuse to be law-abiding citizens and those are the people the Marshal Unit are targeting. This is a matter of compliance with a judicial order,” said Municipal Court Clerk Fred Garcia.

“We are here to enforce the judgments of the court and do so in a manner that respects our citizens,” said City Marshal William Warren. “The marshals will escort you to the nearest Community Link Service Center so the fine can be paid or deliver you to a magistrate office to make payment arrangements with the Compliance and Collections Unit.”

Municipal Court handles only Class C misdemeanor cases. The Marshal Unit is currently targeting adjudicated cases that involve people who have made a court appearance and agreed to pay the fine but failed to do so. The program will expand soon with the addition of two more Deputy City Marshals. The five-person force and support staff will then target non-adjudicated cases as well.

For more information, visit www.sanantonio.gov/court or call Fred Garcia at 207-7711.
 

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