“The Fall -500”- A Second Notice to Resolve an Open Misdemeanor Warrant

Upper Marlboro, MD…   The Warrant/Fugitive division announced a new warrant reduction initiative aimed at lowering the number of open misdemeanor warrants. Entitled “The Fall – 500” the initiative involves mailing a second letter to 500 persons with open misdemeanor warrants issued in the last three years. The Office of the Sheriff as part of normal procedure already sends one letter to all persons with open misdemeanor warrants. With the  “The Fall 500” warrants, investigations uncovered a different address than on the original warrant and a second letter was mailed to the newly identified address to remind  the wanted person  that they have an open warrant and that they need to get it resolved.

“Twenty-six people have already turned themselves in as a result of receiving the letter,” said Acting Captain William Mints, Assistant Bureau Chief of Field Operations. “We are offering suspects with misdemeanor warrants a way to resolve these warrants on their own time, and with as little stress as possible. Including the 26 people who came forward, we’ve already closed 41 warrants. It’s a very low cost way to give people a chance to resolve an open matter. Who knows? They might have been in the middle of moving on the day they were supposed to appear in court.”

Lt. Col. Regina Taylor, Bureau Chief of Field Operations said the early results are a reminder that the address on a warrant isn’t always right and that’s where the investigative work comes in and plenty of investigative work went into the “Fall - 500.” “Warrant Division Deputies and Investigators have a knack for locating people; where the end result of the investigation is a letter and then a voluntary turn-in to close the warrant, everybody wins.”

While working this initiative, Lt. Col. Taylor says the Warrant Division has continued to focus on suspects wanted for numerous felony charges. Mailings for “The Fall – 500” warrants were mailed  out in phases beginning on October 15, 2012,  with each of the mailings giving the individual three weeks to respond before the Warrant Division attempts service. 

 "We will actively follow-up on each warrant, which for some will mean a knock on the door and physical arrest.  We want recipients of these letters to take them seriously.  Even if the letter is received at a family member's house, with the Office of the Sheriff return address on the letter, we hope that family member will contact the recipient.  Ideally, everyone will turn themselves in and avoid the second option," Mints added.

For more information contact the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Press Information Office at 301-780-2773.

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