Jack County JP gives warrant roundup update

The Great Texas Warrant Roundup recently concluded its 11th year of operation. The warrant roundup is designed to encourage voluntary cooperation with courts across Texas to clear warrants for fine only offenses. If a defendant should choose not to come in voluntarily, additional officers are involved to clear warrants through arrest. Approximately 300 agencies and courts were involved in this year’s operation which ran from February 25 through March 5. 

The Jack County Justice of the Peace office began preparing for the warrant round-up the first week of February. JP Stacey Spurlock and her staff processed approximately 400 outstanding citations during this time. Warrants were issued for each violator and each violation committed. These warrants are currently being served by a coordinated effort of the Texas Department Public Safety, Texas Department of Public Safety License and Weight Troopers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden, Jack County Sheriff’s Office, and Jacksboro Police Department. 

The JP office is also participating in the State of Texas Failure to Appear Program.  The State of Texas uses vendor OmniBase Services of Texas for this program. OmniBase maintains and administers the central database for the cities and counties contracted to use the Department of Public Safety’s Failure to Appear Program. 

The FTA Program as authorized by Chapter 706 of the Texas Transportation Code, provides an effective collection and enforcement tool by restricting the violator’s ability to renew their driver’s license for outstanding violations.  OmniBase will mail a letter of notification to the violator within 24 hours of Texas Department of Public Safety’s acceptance advising of restriction on their driver’s license, and provide information on contacting the reporting court. The hold on the driver’s license will stay indefinitely or until the citation is taken care of.  To determine an outstanding violation anywhere in the State of Texas, you can check your driver license number at www.texasfailuretoappear.com. 

The Jack County Justice of the Peace office utilizes the services of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Simpson, LLP, a law firm that provides collection services for county offices across the state. The service is provided to the county with no costs to the taxpayers.

By using these tools, the Justice of the Peace office increased its revenue for the month of February by approximately $14,000 over the previous month.  

Spurlock said the grand total for the month of February was one of the best months the JP office has seen in quite some time.

“I expect March to be even better,” Spurlock wrote in a newsletter released this week. “We will continue to utilize these tools and procedures on all outstanding citations on a daily basis. The warrants are accessible to all law enforcement agencies 24 hours a day.”

There have been many changes in the JP office. Issuing warrants on each outstanding citation pursuant to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 45 is just one of the many changes within the JP office made since Spurlock began serving in the position last April. 

“By law, there is a $50 warrant fee that is charged on each warrant that is issued, and the fee is one we keep here in the county,” the newsletter read.