1/23/14 - A bill sponsored by a local lawmaker seeks to streamline the process by which police officers obtain warrants from the court. State Representative Bill Rogers recently introduced House Bill 5246 that would allow police departments to use the same video equipment used for video arraignments in the courtroom to get their warrants approved by a prosecutor and a judge. The Genoa Township Republican said the bill came about after conversations with Green Oak Township Police Chief Bob Brookins, who pointed out that for many departments the process of obtaining a warrant is unnecessarily time-consuming and costly. Currently, an officer must complete the necessary reports for a warrant, drive to the prosecutorâs office to have it approved, then drive to the court house to wait for a judge, where they will then give a 1-2 min presentation for âprobable cause.â Once that is done the warrant is officially signed by the court and may be executed. HB 5246 will allow officers to utilize the same video systems used by judges for arraignments to swear to warrants. Rogers says Brookins pointed out that there are many departments that have only one officer on duty, forcing them to leave their patrol area in order to swear to a warrant. He says that can result in delays, sometimes lasting weeks in low-level cases, before an officer can get to the court to get the warrant authorized. The bill was introduced Wednesday and now heads to the House Judiciary committee for review. (JK)
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