Every spring in Texas, more than 300 local and state law enforcement agencies come together for the Great Texas Roundup. The Roundup is a concentrated communal effort to find and arrest individuals with arrest warrants for unpaid traffic tickets. If you have unpaid tickets for traffic, code violation, or other Class C offenses, you may be in danger of arrest at your home or office this spring.
But don’t worry—it won’t be a surprise. During the short grace or notification period, anyone with an outstanding warrant will be called and mailed a notification of their warrant and given the opportunity to resolve their case before the last week of February. After this period is over, however, participating law enforcement agencies will be taking action. If you have an open warrant for arrest after this date, be warned: you could be seeing an officer at your door during the roundup.
Don’t wait for the knock—resolve your unsettled traffic tickets today.
What Is The Warrant Roundup?
The Warrant Roundup is a concentrated effort by participating state and local agencies all over Texas to resolve outstanding traffic warrants. During this time, law enforcement officers partner together across agency lines to find and arrest drivers with warrants. If you have an active warrant on an old unpaid citation—you are at risk.
Different agencies participate for different lengths of time each year, but in general the Texas Warrant Roundup runs from the last week of February through early March. All across the state, officers normally assigned to major crimes will focus their efforts on warrants for unpaid traffic tickets during this time, and all that additional manpower yields some serious results—last year this led to over 100,000 closed warrants.
What Happens If I Have A Traffic Ticket?
When you are given a traffic ticket, it is important to act quickly. You have a few days to either pay your ticket or request a court date, and if you do neither a warrant WILL be issued for your arrest. Once your payment date has passed, if you have not resolved the ticket some other way, it is essential to follow up with your local law enforcement agency to avoid having a warrant issued. You can check your status easily online.
Will I Be Arrested?
If you have an open arrest warrant, you can be arrested at any time during the year. You might not think your chances of arrest are higher during this time, but due to the coordinated effort between agencies, your chances of arrest are much higher at this time. Additionally, while this time is primarily intended for those with unpaid traffic tickets, anyone with an outstanding warrant for Class C misdemeanors can and will be apprehended. In order to endure your safety, if you have an active warrant, you may want to consider taking legal action immediately to get your warrant lifted as soon as possible.
If you have an outstanding warrant, don’t wait for the Roundup.