In Dallas County, people stopped by law enforcement could wind up behind bars due to errors in the database that the county uses to search for active arrest warrants. Recently, the number topped 2,600 active arrest warrants that should've been deleted.
Dallas County audited local courts' records - and found arrest warrants out for thousands of people whose cases were already over.In Dallas County, people stopped by law enforcement could wind up behind bars because of errors in the database that the county uses to search for active arrest warrants. Recently, that number topped 2,600 active arrest warrants that should have been deleted from the system.
If people with active warrants out for their arrest or unpaid fines from a previous citation don’t accept the community courts pathway, they can be taken into custody by the city marshal on the scene. The city and the county use the same database to search for active arrest warrants. “This poses a potential liability to the county for persons arrested in error,” said Thomas multiple court audit reports.All of the erroneous warrants that the auditor’s office found in their latest round of inspections were recalled by the end of August of last year, the reports say. How many might still be in circulation remains unclear, though, as up-to-date audits for multiple JP courts have not been released. The auditor’s website states that COVID-19-related delays held up the process.
“Dallas’ inability to stay on top of its administrative paperwork poses a threat to the liberty of individuals who are at risk of being stopped by the police for engaging in their constitutional right to ask for money,” said Dr. Hannah Lebovits, professor of public affairs and planning at the University of Texas at Arlington.
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