Police detention is only considered legal in Jefferson County, NY, if the suspect is arrested while committing a crime, after a police chase, or when the law enforcement officers have an arrest warrant with them. A warrant for arrest is a court order that authorizes the police to arrest a person and present him in court. The document offers certain rights to peace officers, and a specific procedure has to be followed to procure it. Suppose the Sheriff’s Department suspects a person in a criminal case. In that case, they approach the local criminal court with a writ that mentions the crime, the evidence, and information about the person who has to be arrested. The warrant is solely issued based on the probable cause mentioned in the affidavit. If the evidence is enough to implicate a person in the court of law, the magistrate signs the order making it an active arrest warrant issued in Jefferson County, NY.
The plea for a warrant can be declined in case of insufficient evidence. However, after the judge orders a person’s arrest, the warrant stays in effect until the individual is taken into custody and presented before the court. An active warrant becomes outstanding when it is not served.
Outstanding warrants give law enforcement officers the very same authority as an active warrant. With the judicial order in hand, the police can raid the person’s home in question and use any form of force that might be needed to bring the individual in.
To determine if a loved one or friend has an arrest warrant out against him/her, request arrest records related information from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. They are located at 753 Waterman Drive, Watertown, NY 13601. Another solution for a warrant search is to fill out the form online and access an online criminal records database.
Can you get any information about Jefferson County warrants and arrests over the phone? (2021-Update)
- For information on recent arrests, dial the phone number of Jail Bookings- (315) 786-2688.
- For details pertaining to bail bonds, call (315) 446-1117.
- For general inquiries, get in touch with the Sheriff’s Office at (315) 786-2700.
- For information on outstanding warrants, arrest records, and incident/accident reports, call the Records Unit at (315) 786-2701.
- For questions pertaining to the investigation of a criminal complaint, call (315) 786-2671.
- For victims’ assistance, call (315) 782-1823.
- For questions pertaining to judicial records and case searches, call the Office of the Court Clerk at 315-785-3044 (County Court) and 315-221-5818 (Supreme Court).
Crime Statistics for Jefferson County, New York
In 2019, it seemed like the police of Jefferson County had finally brought the crime rate of the area in control But, 2020 changed all of that as the annual crime average went back to its level of 2000 plus complaints, which was a bit higher than even the rate of 2018.
The increase was seen across the board with the figures of all crime categories soaring. Property offenses brought in almost 1800 complaints while around 270 cases were attributed to violent crimes.
Jefferson started with a reasonably low crime rate of below 1000 reported cases of violent crime in 1999. However, over the ten years beginning in 1999, the overall crime rate increased by almost 40%. The increase in violent crime figures is just one of the spike’s overall crime rate ramifications. Violent crime cases went from below 1000 to well over 1600 in this decade.
Annually, almost 1500 criminal cases are filed in Jefferson County; this equates to just about 15,000 cases reported between 1999 and 2008. Almost five criminal incidents take place in the county each day. Of the total criminal activity, nearly 220 cases were of sexual assault, while about 15 were homicide incidents.