5-2 FELONY WARRANT MANAGEMENT

HOMICIDE BUREAU

DETECTIVE DIVISION

BUREAU ORDERS

Bureau Order Number:  5-2

Subject:  FELONY WARRANT MANAGEMENT

I.   CONCEPT AND ISSUES

    A.  PURPOSE

The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for managing felony warrants.                        

    B.  BACKGROUND

Homicide Investigators are responsible for serving felony homicide warrants issued as a result of their investigations.  Investigators are responsible for tracking and updating the status of their arrest warrants.  Additionally, investigators are responsible for complying with due diligence requirements.

    C.  SCOPE OF POLICY

This policy is directed to all Homicide Bureau personnel and any other personnel assigned to Homicide Bureau in a temporary or permanent capacity.

    D.  TRAINING

Homicide Bureau sergeants and lieutenants shall ensure that all personnel under their supervision have been appropriately briefed on the contents of this policy.                      

    E.  ACCOUNTABILITY

The Unit Commander.

    F.  CONCLUSION

The intent of this policy is to establish guidelines for proper felony warrant management.

II. POLICY

GUIDELINES

Team Lieutenants shall be responsible for utilizing a warrant tickler file system for tracking arrest warrants.  Moreover, Team Lieutenants shall ensure that case investigators and the Data Center personnel are utilizing the Countywide Warrant System (CWS) tracking due diligence requirements and for recording dates of service or attempted service of warrants.

Warrants shall be entered into NCIC cases involving felonies.  Additionally, Team Lieutenants shall be responsible for NCIC validation.

WARRANTS MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

Case investigators shall be responsible for filling out the Initial Case Filing form (see attachment) and for submitting the forms to the Data Center personnel for entry into CWS.

When a felony arrest warrant is issued by the municipal court, a tickler file shall be instituted for tracking due diligence requirements.  This tickler file shall be reviewed during semi-annual inspections. 

Investigators shall attempt to serve arrest warrants within the first thirty days after issuance by the court.  CWS shall be updated to reflect the attempted service date and time. Team Lieutenants shall pay particular attention to identifying those warrants that are invalid (for whatever reasons) and for initiating requests through the courts to quash the invalid or stale warrants.  CWS shall be updated accordingly.  Team Lieutenants shall review warrant files to ensure conformity with due diligence guidelines on an annual basis.