In Kenton County, the problem of unserved arrest warrants can be summed up in two words: Sandra Colston.
Her murder last spring by her husband, a paraplegic wanted for a year for failure to report to a parole officer, focused attention on Kenton's 9,000-name backlog - and highlighted that no law enforcement agency was responsible for resolving the problem.
Neighboring Boone and Campbell counties do not have such a vivid reminder of their backlogs, which number about 5,000 each. But some officials say they want to bring more attention to the issue before a similar tragedy occurs within their borders.
''It's time to resolve this issue before we have more incidents like the Colston incident in Kenton County,'' said Florence Councilman Mel Carroll. ''I will not be satisfied with this issue until we have it resolved.''
In Campbell County last week, 5,229 warrants were outstanding on charges ranging from first-degree burglary to failing to pay court fines. In Boone County, people are wanted on about 5,600 warrants. The charges there vary widely, too, but officials say they're mostly out-of-state residents wanted on traffic charges. Those numbers are a little more than half the total for Kenton County, where the warrants list is estimated about 9,000. Officials working on the backlog originally thought they were dealing with about half that number, but later learned they had computerized lists that counted warrants only two years old and newer.
Kentucky doesn't specify who is responsible for serving warrants. Each warrant is simply addressed to all peace officers in the commonwealth, making any law enforcement agency able to serve them. It also means that no single agency is responsible for resolving the backlog of unserved warrants.
For Mr. Carroll, who brought up the issue at a Florence city retreat recently, the problem is twofold: finger pointing about who has the duty to record and maintain warrants; and whose job it is to find the scofflaws.
''Every person throughout the state of Kentucky should be able to go to bed at night resting assured that there's not people in their neighborhoods wanted for outstanding warrants, and no effort was made to serve those warrants,'' he said. ''The legislature needs to address it in a fashion that gives specific responsibility to specific law enforcement agencies.''
Across the river in Ohio, state law there sets out that the sheriff's departments are responsible for serving felony arrest warrants. The bulk of other warrants are served by bailiffs who work for the clerk of courts.
Mr. Carroll said he's hopeful that law enforcement agencies across Kentucky will develop a solution to present to legislators.
''This is an issue that is not going away, and this is an issue that must be resolved to everyone's satisfaction,'' he said. ''A warrant served on a local resident by a local court ought to be served post haste.''
Meanwhile, in Campbell County, District Judge Mickey Foellger said he has a first-hand view of the warrants problem.
It has happened more than a few times that, as he drives out of the district court parking lot toward home in the evenings, he comes across somebody he is certain he personally issued a warrant for.
''I don't see that we're in any different position than any other counties,'' Judge Foellger said. ''It's very frustrating. I see these people all the time.''
Virtually the only time a wanted person is arrested, he said, is when they are picked up for something else and the officer discovers the outstanding warrant. And wanted people know that, the judge said.
''If you've got a warrant on you out there, you'll be OK for the rest of your life as long as you don't do anything else wrong.''
If the warrants problem isn't fixed, Mr. Carroll said, the backlog mocks those who do appear in court as they are required.
''The issue is this,'' he said, ''if we have laws that pertain to one of us, the laws should pertain to all of us.''
Some of the backlog could be reduced if prosecutors and law enforcement agencies go through the lists and eliminate warrants that don't have enough information to be served, said Boone County Attorney Larry Crigler.
Only rarely, he said, does he hear from someone who filed a complaint against an individual and is upset that the ensuing warrant wasn't served.
Mr. Crigler said he doesn't think the three counties need to band together to address the backlog with a new computer system. Instead, he suggested more use of the statewide warrants system, maintained by the state police, called Law Information Network of Kentucky (LINK).
Officials - including Campbell Judge-executive Ken Paul - say they are open to talking with their Kenton counterparts about a regional approach to the issue.
''I think we're always open to looking at how operations are done today,'' he said. But ''I don't think that's going to eliminate 5,000 warrants because you're operating on a joint computer.''
County Commissioner Shirley Meihaus said she'd like to see the Boone Fiscal Court discuss the matter.
''Anytime there's a backup that large, there's a concern,'' she said. ''It is something we're going to look into and see what it takes to play catch-up.''
Previous stories
Kenton Co. sheriff cancels 2nd shift Feb. 13, 1997.
Warrants backlog burgeons Feb. 8, 1997.
Searchers will have updated suspect list Jan. 15, 1997.
Chief organizes warrant search Jan. 5, 1997.
Kenton to focus on most wanted Dec. 26, 1996
Warrant backlog worse in Boone, Campbell Dec. 22, 1996
Kenton police chief proposes special unit Dec. 19, 1996
Sheriff pulls deputies off FBI team Dec. 18, 1996
Lawmakers want answer to unserved warrants Dec. 17, 1996
4,200 unserved warrants in Kenton County Dec. 15, 1996
