By C1 Staff
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. — Starting Monday, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office will be offering a program that allows people with non-violent, misdemeanor warrants to turn themselves in and get a new court date, rather than being arrested.
Called ‘Operation Second Chance,’ the program runs through the end of the month and includes warrants for both criminal and traffic as well as infractions, according to Palo Alto Online.
“It allows people during the holiday time of the year to take care of these warrants and not go to jail to they can spend time with their loved ones and family members,” said Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup.
Even if the warrant specifies ‘no bail’ or ‘no cite and release,’ the program will grant a new court date.
Felony warrants do not qualify, as well as misdemeanor warrants that include violence, firearms, resisting arrest or giving false information to an officer.
The program is going on 10 years now, and more than 2,800 people have used it to turn themselves in. The most common charge for people who use the program is for DUIs, according to Stenderup.
There are a total of 34,837 outstanding warrants throughout the county, but it’s unclear how many of those meet the qualifications set out by the program.
“It saves money and space,” Stenderup said. “Instead of dealing with booking, feeding and housing, we are now allowing them to take care of this warrant.”