By Moses Leos III
With just over $4.5 million in outstanding fines, the Kyle Police Department is seeking a second warrant officer to assist in fee collection.
According to Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett, the revenue generated by the position would account for the hire.
“It certainly brings in money to pay for the position and it helps reduce outstanding warrants and fines owed to the courts,” Barnett said. “It’s a win-win for everyone, except for those who want to avoid the court system.”
Kyle’s new warrant officer position, which is one of the city’s 22.5 new positions in the $78.8 million budget, would assist in the collection of fines and fees from the municipal court.
The officer’s duties would include serving warrants and subpoenas. In addition, the warrant officer acts as a bailiff for the Kyle municipal court and has duties of a Kyle police officer.
The revenue generated by the position is what Barnett said could be a benefit for the community. In February 2015, the city’s current warrant officer served 160 warrants, which helped draw $54,533 in that month alone. Over five random months, the officer brought in an average of $23,000 in outstanding court fees per month.
“With the number of outstanding warrants and the amount of outstanding dollars, I think it’s expected for an additional warrant officer to be just as successful,” Barnett said.
Collection of unpaid fees is done several ways, including mailing out notices and placing door hangers on the doors of residents who owe the city. Kyle also participates with other state agencies in the Texas Warrant Roundup.
Kyle’s warrant officer will also make courtesy calls, and if necessary, visit residences or businesses to serve warrants.
But several challenges lay ahead for Kyle police, including the growing number of people who have obligations to the city.
Kyle currently has 12,000 outstanding warrants and the number continues to grow. Those warrants range the gamut of Class C misdemeanors, including minor theft, criminal mischief and traffic violations.
While Barnett said a warrant officer counteracts the growing number of warrants, he said that all of the numbers are “unlikely to go away.” He said there would always be a group of people who allow their case to turn into a warrant.
But Barnett was not surprised by the high volume of outstanding warrants and fees. Prior to the hiring of a warrant officer, Hays County Sheriff’s Office deputies serviced Kyle’s outstanding warrants.
While the deputies served warrants for Class C misdemeanors, Barnett said their main focus was more serious crimes. He said it was up to the public to pay their fines.
“Unless someone encountered a Kyle Police officer, (their warrant) was likely to go undetected.”
In addition, many of the warrants stem from travelers who are cited while passing through Kyle; a trend he said has grown as “we are a much more mobile society.”
“We have an interstate system running through the middle of town. People get citations when they travel through,” Barnett said. “They don’t believe they have to take care of it if they don’t live here.”
As the city’s population fluxuates, Barnett hopes the new position can keep outstanding fines from growing.
“People tend to move away. If they move far enough away, they choose to, or accidentally, forget their obligations to Kyle,” he said. “It’s the job of the warrant officer to make sure they remember it.”
