COVINGTON - Kenton County's chief district judge says only the state legislature can really fix the systemic problem causing the backlog of arrest warrants, and he wants Northern Kentucky lawmakers to take up the cause.
In a letter written Thursday, Marty Sheehan, chief judge of the Kenton District
Court, asked members of the Northern Kentucky caucus to delve into the larger issue he says set up the problem - the reorganization in 1978 of courts into the current statewide system.
''We need help at the state level,'' the judge said Thursday. ''That's all there is to it.''
Kenton County has an estimated 9,000 unserved warrants for a variety of
offenses, from felonies to things such as failure to appear in court or pay fines. The murder last spring of Sandra Colston by her husband - wanted for a year for failure to report to a parole officer - brought the issue to the forefront.
Local officials began examining the
backlog after The Enquirer reported in December about the lack of any organized effort to track down wanted people.
The constitutional amendment that created the Unified Judicial System ''left a lot of baggage behind,'' the judge wrote, and leaves a legacy of confusion and duplication of some services.
Several aspects of the revised system give local authorities problems in serving warrants. Chief among them: The law makes all peace officers eligible to serve
all warrants, but does not specifically designate warrant service as one agency's responsibility.
It also does not specify what part of the judicial system is responsible for maintaining the computer database of warrants. Circuit Clerk Mary Ann Woltenberg, whose office does that job now but is not required to, has said she will stop doing it as soon as another system is worked out.
Judge Sheehan, in his letter, makes two suggestions:
- A task force to examine the problems from the unified system over the past 19 years.
- A legal clarification on which agencies are responsible for serving warrants and maintaining the system.
Without the latter, he wrote, any arrangement worked out by area law enforcement agencies will only be a voluntary commitment.
Several lawmakers have said they already have been looking into the problem.
Rep. Richard Murgatroyd, R-Villa Hills, asked the Legislative Research Commission in December to review state law on the issue. The Office of Constituent Services sent him copies of the three state laws that deal with sheriff's departments' responsibility for warrants.
Sen. Dick Roeding, R-Fort Mitchell, has been thinking about what the legislature might do. ''This is something that needs to be solved - not just here, but all over the state.''
Previous stories
Vague laws frustrate police Feb. 18, 1997.
Boone, Campbell focus on big backlog Feb. 16, 1997.
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
