‘Safe surrender’ deals with 800 warrants

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court officials say almost 800 warrants were addressed at a “safe surrender” event last month.

People with outstanding traffic warrants were invited to see a judge and “receive favorable consideration in exchange for coming in to address the warrant,” according to a Metro Court news release.

The court hosts such events to bring people back into the system and to avoid expending the court, law enforcement and jail resources required to arrest and book someone on a bench warrant.

“We were able to close a large number of cases, bring folks back into the system, and those who came in were able to leave with peace of mind,” Court Executive Officer Robert Padilla said in the news release.

The court says this year’s event was the most successful to date.