Undoubtedly there are scores of options available to anybody who is seeking information on Montana outstanding warrants. Although most people understand that arrest warrants are a call to police officers to apprehend an accused, few are aware of the significance of these orders and how they impact the Right to Freedom of an accused. Of course, it always helps to learn about how these orders are used before you launch the investigation.
What protects citizens from unlawful arrests?
The Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States limit the circumstances in which arrests can be made without outstanding warrants. Law makers have tried to strike a balance between protecting citizens from faulty decisions and assumptions made by law enforcement agents and not impeding police work.
Generally, a warrantless arrest would be valid when there is no doubt that a particular crime has been committed by the said individual; this can only hold true if the crime occurred in front of a police officer, if the perpetrator was caught in the act or while fleeing the crime scene. Also, arrests without warrants are valid when the police find narcotics, weapons and other illegal items in possession of a person during routine stop and searches or when the accused poses harm to the victim, witnesses and evidence.
In all other scenarios, particularly if the crime is a misdemeanor, the police have to seek an active warrant. These orders are exclusively issued on the basis of reasonable cause. This means that the police have to take the incriminating evidence that they have against the accused in front of the magistrate and let him decide if the accused can be held responsible for the crime.
What do active warrants signify?
Given the fact that the establishment of probable cause is an unbendable requirement for the release of active warrants and that these order can only be sanctioned by the judiciary, the release of an arrest warrant means three things:
1. That the police have a sizeable amount of evidence which will also hold against the accused during trial
2. The magistrate, a representative of the judiciary, agrees with the determination made by the police in respect to the incident being of a criminal nature and the involvement of the alleged offender in it
3. That the accused will be detained shortly, as police officers are required to execute these orders on a priority basis
Who can serve these orders and how?
Only law enforcement agents are allowed to serve outstanding warrants. This includes deputies of the sheriff’s department that has jurisdiction in the issuing county and also police officers from the other geographical divisions of the state. Apart from this, US Marshalls, Montana State Troopers, highway patrol can all make arrests under active warrants. These orders are considered served when the perpetrators in whose name they have been issued are apprehended.
Where can you go to find information on MT outstanding warrants?
Several police departments furnish warrant lists on their website. These files contain details on the charges for which the outstanding warrant was sought, the name of the offender, bail amount, some identifier information and the courthouse that sanctioned the warrant.
1. Chouteau County: chouteaucosomt.com/Pages/Warrants.html
2. Gallatin County: gallatin.mt.gov/Public_Documents/gallatincomt_sheriff/wantedbios/warrantlist
3. Flathead County: apps.flathead.mt.gov/warrants/
4. Phillips County: phillipscountysheriff.org/page5.html
5. Rosebud County: rosebudcountymt.gov/SHERIFF/warrant_list.html
6. Valley County: valleycountysheriff.net/jcwarrants.html