Outreach Court clears warrants

Lakewood’s new Community Outreach Court held its first session in December. They report:

• 7 participants
• 21 cases
• 21 warrants cleared
• 7 state id’s issued on-site

Community partners were available on-site to help with housing, counseling, substance abuse, and basic needs. The court will meet on the first Thursday of each month.

This report is confirmation that the court routinely vacates warrants, which Judge Bozarth previously reported on.

Warrants are given for Failure to Appear in answer to the original ticket. There may also be probable cause warrants for low-level offenses.

Outreach Court makes services more accessible by serving in high-need areas, rather than asking individuals to travel to court. Denver has had an Outreach Court serving at the Denver Rescue Mission since 2017. Lakewood is following Denver’s path.

There was no report as to how the original ticket or offense was handled. The point seemed to be clearing warrants and issuing state id’s.

Council Member Mayott-Guerrero commented this was an important step for entrenched individuals to make progress.