The Benton Police Department is launching the “28-Days of Hide & Seek” initiative for February, which will be focusing on serving officers serving warrants with emphasis on felony warrants. The BNPD will use investigative research tools and work with other law enforcement agencies to locate suspects to serve their warrants.
“A person with a warrant can avoid an embarrassing situation by taking care of it now during this initiative,” Chief Kirk Lane said. “If you have a non-violent warrant, a new court date might be worked out. It will be on a case by case basis.”
The BNPD also reminds people that failing to appear for a court hearing causes a judge to automatically suspend their driver’s license and issue a Failure To Appear warrant. By contacting the BNPD during the initiative, warrant holders may also avoid fees associated with the impounding of a vehicle if taken into custody during a traffic stop. They may also avoid the embarrassment of being arrested in front of family members or friends or co-workers, and by being contacted at their place of employment.
Otherwise, when officers find those with warrants, they will be taken to jail, regardless if it’s a non-violent offense or not. The officers will be concentrating first on finding people who have warrants for violent or other serious offenses. Currently the department has 1,489 total warrants (78 felony).
For those who chose to participate in the program, here are the steps to take:
- Proceed to the Benton Police Department, located at 114 S. East St. in Benton.
- Provide proof of identification with a photo ID.
- Once the non-violent misdemeanor warrant has been located, you may be provided a date to appear in court.
If you know of someone who has an outstanding warrant, please call the Benton Police Department at 778-1171 or 315-TIPS. Anonymous tips can be sent to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text. An anonymous tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on iTunes and Google Play.