Bench warrant 'round-ups' now underway

Emporium Borough Police Chief Rufus Jones said Thursday that local police are collaborating to issue multiple bench warrants simultaneously in what Jones called "county round-ups."

The chief said police will perform these 'round-ups' one or two times a month as long as needed to ensure outstanding warrants have been served.

Emporium Borough Police have joined forces with Emporium-based state police and the Cameron County sheriff 's department to prevent the workload from piling up.

"The problem is, people are ignoring the judge's orders," said Jones. "Some of these warrants have been outstanding for awhile. Sometimes we end up serving warrants that are one, five, even ten years old."

Jones praised his colleagues for the job they are doing cleaning up the warrants.

"Comparatively, this county does an incredible job for the number of people they have, both in residence and on the police forces. Everything is and has been going very well."

"I don't think the judges like issuing these warrants for people," Jones continued. "But I think most people realize we're just doing out jobs."

For those who are worried about whether or not they may be a potential target, Jones has one piece of advice.

"If you have something outstanding, take care of it. If you're not sure, check."