AMARILLO, TX -- The warrant roundup that the City of Amarillo recently began is in it's final week...and almost 2,700 people have been located, paid their fines, or gone to jail.
It's a tedious process...going door to door trying to locate ticketed drivers...but , just because you haven't been caught yet, doesn't mean you're in the clear.
During their morning briefing, Amarillo police officers are told to try and find the people who have not paid their fines...a daunting task attempting to find the remaining tens of thousands of traffic violators.
The first stop for officer Trey Hart and Chris Holcomb is only a few blocks from the station...but after numerous attempts, violator # 1 is either not home or not answering the door. But police say it's just a matter of time, says Corporal Jerry Neufeld of the Amarillo Police Dept.
"Eventually, it's going to come back and to catch you. Usually, if they don't take care of it now, it's going to come at a time that's not as convenient. It's going to be more expensive to them to take care of it later, so let's just get it done now."
The next stop is over by Tasocsa High school...again, it's another no show as one person knocks on the door and the other watches other exits in case someone tries to run.
The third stop of the morning proves more fruitful. After a few minutes of knocking...the violator answers the door. He's given the option of paying the more than $1,000 in fines as police offer to escort him back downtown or go to jail. He decides to sit out the fine in a jail cell.
"Every time we come in contact with somebody, we're going to check for outstanding warrants." says Neufled. "You're involved in a fender bender and even if it's not your fault, but you've got three traffic warrants, unfortunately on that sunny afternoon, you're handcuffed and taken to jail."
