Jurupa Valley, CA
Shiane Daima Jacocks
Some who neglect their court hearings falsely believe police departments lack the resources or will to seek out and find them. Last week, residents of Jurupa Valley, with warrants for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and/ or traffic related failures to appear, learned differently.
On June 11, the Jurupa Valley Traffic Team swept through neighborhoods and arrested offenders who either failed to appear for a court date or violated their probation in an outstanding traffic-related case.
“The best bet for anyone with a missed court date is to go to court on their own now,” said Jurupa Valley Police Sergeant Bill Davis. “If you don’t, that warrant isn’t going away. We’re going to come find you and take you to jail.”
Those that are caught often face additional jail time for not attending themselves. It can be wasteful and embarrassing to be arrested without warning for something that could have been prevented.
According to Sergeant Davis, “Special Warrant Service Operations, along with regularly scheduled ‘High Visibility’ DUI enforcement has a deterrent effect on those who disregard driving safety and abuse alcohol and drugs.” He added, “The Jurupa Valley Public Department places a high priority on lowering deaths and injuries with the goal of removing impaired drivers and heightening awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”
During the raid, the officers attempted to act on a total of 29 warrants; 18 of the attempts were successful.
Funding for the warrant sweep was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.