Middle Township Mulls ‘Safe Surrender;’ Warrants Would Be Wiped Clean

COURT HOUSE – Middle Township is considering hosting a community safe surrender event (CSS) in which individuals with outstanding warrants have a chance to clear their records. 
Police Chief Christopher Leusner presented the concept to the Middle Township Committee Feb. 21.
The idea is simple. The impact can be huge.
A CSS event would focus on individuals with warrants outstanding for nonviolent crimes. Leusner said police would be present in plain clothes and no arrests would be made unless someone surrendered who was wanted for a serious, violent felony. 
“If someone is wanted for murder, we’re not going to let him leave,” Leusner said, citing the most obvious example.
The location for the event would have both Municipal and Superior Court personnel present with judges standing by on call.
Individuals would surrender themselves, having their cases adjudicated and leave with a clean record. In the vast majority of the cases the warrants are cleared, Leusner said.
Social Service organizations may also be present to help those trying to turn their lives around with a clean record.
Since those individuals are turning themselves in, special treatment is often available as their records are cleared. In other states’ events of this type, for example, fines were lowered as a response to the surrender.
Leusner pointed out, “We will not be reinventing the wheel here.”  Two events in Atlantic County provided guidance on how to do this right, he noted.
“This has the potential to lower crime,” Leusner said. He pointed to instances when individuals, stopped for traffic or other minor issues, attempt to elude police or resist arrest because of outstanding warrants.
The program, also known as Fugitive Safe Surrender, has been active in the state since 2012 when four events were held in Camden, Newark, Central Jersey, and Atlantic City.
A report from 2012 noted that the events also resulted in municipal, child support and Superior Court/probation income even with lowered fines.
A CSS event represents a multi-agency collaboration that helps individuals restart their lives without the fear of an outstanding warrant related arrest.
Where the programs have been run, they were successful.
The program is not an amnesty program, but it offers favorable consideration for individuals who voluntarily surrender.
Township committee indicated that a formal resolution in support of such an event would be prepared for its next meeting.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.