The Warrant Unit is the enforcement branch of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania.
The Unit consists of fifty six armed personnel, working around the clock, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, who are tasked with the duty to locate and arrest fugitives wanted on criminal warrants related to individuals released under bail conditions during trial who violate the conditions of there release. The Warrant Unit also does all enforcement for the Adult Probation and Parole D
epartment in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. The Unit is fully involved in the House Arrest function for both Pretrial releases and Probation and Parole; performing pre-release home investigations, transporting defendants from the prison to the House Arrest location, installation and maintenance of the electronic monitoring equipment, and responding to all alerts related to potential violations of the House Arrest program. The Warrant Unit is the central repository for warrants issued within the First Judicial District and this requires the staffing of administrative personnel to field inquiries related to the validity of warrants from Law Enforcement Agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Warrants are lodged in instances where the defendant is incarcerated and Warrant Unit personnel are dispatched for transportation back to Philadelphia in situations that are not related to criminal charges in that jurisdiction. The Warrant Unit provides an avenue of “Safe Surrender” by manning a surrender room in the Criminal Justice Center where individuals with bench warrants can go to address their warrant without being arrested and in most cases, they will receive a new court date without risking the loss of their bail. Recently an organization of Philadelphia clergy has created a process to facilitate surrenders through their individual churches and church staff has often assisted by escorting the individuals into the courthouse for the surrender. The Warrant Unit has also been tasked with the responsibility of enforcing all Traffic Court warrants and Family Court warrants related to child support. The Unit has been involved in various initiatives and “sweeps” concentrating on these warrants and attracting media attention in order to generate more voluntary surrenders. The Warrant Unit’s personnel are highly trained and exemplify a standard of professionalism that has garnered the respect of local, state and federal agencies within the Law Enforcement Community. The Unit is at the forefront of the specialized field of Fugitive Investigations and is recognized for its expertise within that field.
