What Is The Warrant Round Up?

Some 300 local law enforcement agencies statewide are joining forces between February and early March for 2024’s Texas Warrant Roundup.

If you have active arrest warrants on old, unpaid citations, you’ve likely been notified, via mail or telephone.

You’ve been advised to contact a municipal, JP, or county court and encouraged to pay off outstanding fines, during a deceptively titled “grace period.”

Don’t be fooled.

Simply paying a fine (even if it is reduced or court costs are waived) to resolve a citation means it WILL go to your driving record as a conviction.

If you pay off a fine (or apply jail time served credit) associated with a citation for a moving violation you will have a conviction on your driving record.

Convictions are bad news.

You’ll pay higher insurance premiums.

A conviction can also lead to a license suspension!

If you’re convicted 4 times for separate incidents in 12 months, or 7 in 24, you could be tagged as a habitual violator. Then you’ll need to apply for an occupational license if you want to continue to drive, and pay a reinstatement fee. Your license could be suspended for up to a year!

There are numerous other traps for the unwary associated with convictions for seemingly minor traffic offences.

If you have outstanding warrants and you’re arrested, you’ll have to post a bond in the full amount of your unpaid fines to get out of jail. You can hire a bondsman to do this, but a bondsman cannot represent you in court.

Don’t waste your time and your money.

Talk to us today.

Here’s more about 2016’s roundup from the ACLU.