The top cops in St. Louis city and county are working with Better Family Life, Inc. to help citizens settle misdemeanor warrants without facing arrest.
“My officers do not like arresting citizens for these minor infractions,” said St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom. “Their time is better spent preventing crime and arresting criminals.”
BFL, with the support of St. Louis Community College, will present St. Louis Metropolitan Amnesty Project 2012 with three times and campuses to get right with the law:
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, August 4, St. Louis Community College- Meramec, 11333 Big Bend Blvd.
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, August 8, St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, 4300 Pershall Rd.
- 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, August 11, St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave.
Participants must pay a $10 processing fee and sit through a 15 minute workshop that explains the process to receive a voucher. They may then take the voucher and $100 to the participating municipality where they have an outstanding warrant.
The court administrator will lift the active warrant and give the citizen a new court date. When the citizen returns to court, the $100 will be applied to their fine or court costs.
More than 30 county municipalities and the City of St. Louis are participating. St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch provided leadership to encourage new municipalities to participate this year.
In 2011, some 14,000 citizens addressed their legal issues through the Amnesty, the most to date, according to BFL.
“Citizens begin calling as early as June asking for information,” said James Clark, VP, Community Outreach for BFL.
“Many are individuals who are looking for assistance with outstanding warrants which is the last hurdle to becoming gainfully employed.”
As a leader in workforce development since 1998, Better Family Life, Inc. saw the need. BFL would train and certify people and help place them in jobs, only for the new worker to resign when told a police check must be submitted.
“We watched this year after year, watching individuals go from being highly motivated with a great sense of accomplishment, to a state of frustration, and feeling of rejection,” Clark said.