The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office will be starting a new program in an effort to address the backlog of arrest warrants.

According to Sheriff Bill Puett, there has been relocation of staff and some realigned duties in an effort to get a warrant service program started.  

“We already have some folks working on felony warrants and those type of things,” Puett said. “However, we’re going to utilize some of our staff that works in Civil Process and transportation and some of those and pair them up and utilize them to start looking into executing arrest warrants on a lot of the stuff that we get, misdemeanors and things that just kind of languish there.”

Puett said part of the realigning of duties will include some staff members now making calls to people with outstanding warrants.

“Giving them information… you have a warrant, you need to get it taken care of, if not, we’re going to put you on the list to be sought after,” Puett said.

Puett said if anyone thinks they may have a misdemeanor warrant, to get in contact with the court.

“If you go and make arrangements with the court and all those things, you don’t have to be arrested, you don’t have to necessarily post that bond and do all those things,” Puett said. “Unfortunately, I know when people get tickets and some of these misdemeanor things, they kind of put them off, but we want to make sure we’re serving the community in every possible way that we can and so that means making people be held accountable for that.”

Puett said once the project is underway, it’s important to note that anyone calling from the Sheriff’s Office regarding a warrant, will never ask for money or credit card information.

“We will not ask anybody for credit card information, for money, for checks, nothing. We will not be in the money business,” Puett said. “All we’re going to be is (saying) here’s information, you have a warrant, you need to get that taken care of.”

According to Sheriff Puett, they plan to begin the warrant service program in the next couple of weeks.