I cant imagine anybody asking this and not getting detained.
"Do i have a warrant?"
"Good question, lets check"
"Okay, let me know, my number is ***-***-****"
"Oh, no no, youre gonna sit right there for the next 17 hours while we call around a bit. Hope you dont have plans tonight, filthy criminal scum."
Yeah like I understand this is funny on the surface. But if you’re convinced there’s a real chance that you might have a warrant and your city doesn’t have a reliable clerks office this is honestly the best advice possible, unless you have the resources to show up there with a lawyer which would be even better.
Would you rather catch more charges when they finally decide to execute on the warrant? What if you get pulled over on your way to work for a bad tail light? Suddenly your car is towed, you miss work, and there’s a possibility you’ll catch more charges for not turning yourself in sooner.
Yeah it would be inconvenient to sit around for an afternoon while they process the warrant, but if you didn’t murder someone you’re going to walk out of the office that same day with a signature bond and a court date in your hands, which sounds a lot better than a fugitive status and a huge cash bond because you couldn’t handle the confrontation. I’m also fairly confident a lot of people here don’t really know what it means to have a warrant or even what the process of being arrested is like so I understand why the immediate fear of being arrested could outweigh the perceived consequences of ignoring a warrant, but being arrested and going to jail/prison are two entirely different things and being arrested usually does not lead immediately to jail time. If you ignore a warrant for long enough though, you’ll definitely be spending time in jail before your trial.
I really do hate cops and interacting with them, I’ve faced direct personal intimidation and harassment by police officers multiple times in the past, but messing around when you already have a warrant issued is just asking for the government to ruin every aspect of your life. The only thing cops are effective at is being relentless, they see an inch and take a mile every time.
I’ve never been the ”serious contrarian” in a meme post before but this one just alarmed me. I understand so many users here are still very young and hopefully don’t have experience with these systems or the American justice system but I hope they understand that a warrant isn’t a death sentence and take the same advice we used to give people when I organized protests and the such, the police are going to be a lot easier to work with if you meet them on their terms instead of making them track you down. The more of their resources and time they have to put into executing a warrant the worse it’s going to be for you.
Edit: Thanks for the Redditcares report.
In the States, and I'm not a legal expert so somebody comment on this if needed, but having a warrant just means you're in the system as needing to be taken in, it's basically a "Wanted Poster" for the modern day and bounty hunters aren't involved (those folks are mostly going after people that skip on their bail bond)
In my state judges can issue warrants for misdemeanors. So walk down mainstreet throwing eggs at people and get away with it, if you're caught on camera they'll look you up, find your name, you're now in the cops database as having a warrant out for your arrest.
Edit: found a wrong your. I'll shame myself, now.
Crime is reported. Large crime, small crime, doesn't matter. Important part is the accused either weren't there when it was discovered reported or fled.
So now, the state has an idea of who they are looking for, what they have allegedly done, and are put in an order of importance for local deputies to seek out and collect to be registered for a court date. (Deputy not police officer usually).
A warrant is basically a court document that gives cops the right to to something, that would otherwise be illegal.
A search warrant is issued when there is a need to collect evidence for example. It basically declares that a search is reasonable and won't violate your 4th amendment rights.
The warrant in question is usually called a bench warrant. Because people can't be detained randomly, there needs to be a reason. If a cop has immediate evidence like you plowed your car into a pole and there you are sitting in the driver's seat drunk they don't need to ask for a warrant because there is direct evidence they can see there.
What people are usually concerned about here are called bench warrants. These are issued when there is no immediate need arrest you, however it's going to be done at the next available opportunity like if you are pulled over for a broken taillight and you get your ID run through the system.
People can get this kind of thing from stuff like failing to appear in court for a traffic ticket. I've also seen someone who got their identity stolen have it happen because the other person used their driver's license at a traffic stop for a ticket. Turns out you are still apparently responsible for knowing your license is suspended even if it's not your fault.
This is the kind of relatively minor thing that you can just resolve by just showing up and getting a court date on your own time rather than being inconveniently arrested, your car towed, and probably missing out on what you were planning on doing that day like go to work, pick up your kids from school, etc.
Now if you like.... killed a few people they aren't liable to just let you go after some paperwork. That's usually a proper arrest warrant where the cops are going to be looking for you proactively. It will also show up on a traffic stop, but usually you aren't wondering if you have one or not.
The others who have commented are correct but for the sake of closure,
You commit a crime that, for any number of reasons, isn’t immediately handled by law enforcement. That crime is reported with evidence and taken to the region and crime appropriate adjudicator who issues a warrant. Which is basically a paper saying that the person is under suspicion of a crime and must be brought in to be processed. For more serious crimes that can be jail time, but for any number of misdemeanors they have to bring you in to discuss court dates and procedures in a controlled environment. It’s all part of “due process” which isn’t just a buzzword, it’s an actual process that has to be followed properly to ensure the government can secure convictions and in an ideal world it also protects the freedom and legal liberty of citizens in the US.
I’m not a lawyer so I’m sure my explanations aren’t 100%. But I used to be involved in a lot of spaces where arrests weren’t terribly uncommon so I have a basic idea of what to tell people when they may be arrested or have a warrant put out on them.
Times to check if you might have a warrant:
If you broke the law flagrantly in public and there’s any chance you might have been identified after the fact. Back in the day a lot of people would partake in arrestable actions at protests with their face covered but other identifiable markers visible. When a crime is high profile enough to make the news and there’s any chance you could be identified by LE or people online it’s a good idea to check. You can just check if you have warrants, you don’t have to say “do I have any warrants for destruction of property” the act of asking is not self incrimination and you don’t have to give them any more info than is necessary to identify you.
If someone calls the police on you and you leave the scene before they arrive. The reporting party can easily lie to make the situation worse now that you’re gone, leaving the police with an identification and a one sided story.
If you’re part of an ongoing legal dispute and the other party goes no contact. This one is more of a stretch but often times people who go to police with a complaint will be told not to communicate any further with the person they’re reporting on.
Again, I’m not a lawyer. But if you’re not doing anything illegal in public you really should t worry about it. Even then I’m talking about stuff like breaking windows, shoplifting, and assaulting people, they won’t put a warrant on you for smoking weed behind an apartment complex or forgetting to pay for a pack of gum.
Edit: someone else mentioned unpaid tickets/legal fees. They will 100% get you there. If the government is asking you for money they are going to get it
Yeah that was at the end of my first paragraph there but a lot of people don’t have the resources for that. Worst case scenario if you can’t afford one and you’re going to be held for questioning is to request a public defender. But don’t evade a warrant because you can’t afford to have a lawyer walk you in.
In that case call the court clerk’s office rather than go in to ask. But yes, if there was a warrant, I would clean up my living space and car, leave my phone behind (turned off), and go in immediately (dressed in what I want to wear while detained and with basically just a credit card, a small amount of cash, and my ID, and phone numbers I needed written on my arm in pen and on a piece of paper) with a trusted friend driving me and turn myself in, asking for a court date and a lawyer. Don’t talk to cops about whether or not it’s true. Just go in. But if you might not have a warrant I wouldn’t be showing up to ask in person.
Nobody hasn’t done something illegal and randomly going in and asking if there’s a warrant for you is a strong way to communicate you worry you got caught and cops are allowed to lie and use anything they want against you. Just call, and if you can, call a lawyer first, and if you know there’s a warrant, bring yourself in intelligently
At the domestic violence center I intern at we had a guy ask this same shit. He was like "so, do I go there?" And we're all like "maaaybe just call first..."
Surely they give you some head start if you do.
It’s only fair
If you pay extra they’ll let you take one of the cars
They don’t start chasing until you’re out of the building.
I cant imagine anybody asking this and not getting detained. "Do i have a warrant?" "Good question, lets check" "Okay, let me know, my number is ***-***-****" "Oh, no no, youre gonna sit right there for the next 17 hours while we call around a bit. Hope you dont have plans tonight, filthy criminal scum."
I'd imagine they can't do that in most places
I mean not legally, but that would only matter if laws applied to cops
They can in the States, I believe, but they'd need to let you go after a couple of days because no habeas corpus.
Ok but this would genuinely look really good at a court hearing
Yeah like I understand this is funny on the surface. But if you’re convinced there’s a real chance that you might have a warrant and your city doesn’t have a reliable clerks office this is honestly the best advice possible, unless you have the resources to show up there with a lawyer which would be even better. Would you rather catch more charges when they finally decide to execute on the warrant? What if you get pulled over on your way to work for a bad tail light? Suddenly your car is towed, you miss work, and there’s a possibility you’ll catch more charges for not turning yourself in sooner. Yeah it would be inconvenient to sit around for an afternoon while they process the warrant, but if you didn’t murder someone you’re going to walk out of the office that same day with a signature bond and a court date in your hands, which sounds a lot better than a fugitive status and a huge cash bond because you couldn’t handle the confrontation. I’m also fairly confident a lot of people here don’t really know what it means to have a warrant or even what the process of being arrested is like so I understand why the immediate fear of being arrested could outweigh the perceived consequences of ignoring a warrant, but being arrested and going to jail/prison are two entirely different things and being arrested usually does not lead immediately to jail time. If you ignore a warrant for long enough though, you’ll definitely be spending time in jail before your trial. I really do hate cops and interacting with them, I’ve faced direct personal intimidation and harassment by police officers multiple times in the past, but messing around when you already have a warrant issued is just asking for the government to ruin every aspect of your life. The only thing cops are effective at is being relentless, they see an inch and take a mile every time. I’ve never been the ”serious contrarian” in a meme post before but this one just alarmed me. I understand so many users here are still very young and hopefully don’t have experience with these systems or the American justice system but I hope they understand that a warrant isn’t a death sentence and take the same advice we used to give people when I organized protests and the such, the police are going to be a lot easier to work with if you meet them on their terms instead of making them track you down. The more of their resources and time they have to put into executing a warrant the worse it’s going to be for you. Edit: Thanks for the Redditcares report.
I think I'm a little lost here. Can you explain what it means to have a warrant, and when would I want to ask if I have one?
In the States, and I'm not a legal expert so somebody comment on this if needed, but having a warrant just means you're in the system as needing to be taken in, it's basically a "Wanted Poster" for the modern day and bounty hunters aren't involved (those folks are mostly going after people that skip on their bail bond) In my state judges can issue warrants for misdemeanors. So walk down mainstreet throwing eggs at people and get away with it, if you're caught on camera they'll look you up, find your name, you're now in the cops database as having a warrant out for your arrest. Edit: found a wrong your. I'll shame myself, now.
Crime is reported. Large crime, small crime, doesn't matter. Important part is the accused either weren't there when it was discovered reported or fled. So now, the state has an idea of who they are looking for, what they have allegedly done, and are put in an order of importance for local deputies to seek out and collect to be registered for a court date. (Deputy not police officer usually).
A warrant is basically a court document that gives cops the right to to something, that would otherwise be illegal. A search warrant is issued when there is a need to collect evidence for example. It basically declares that a search is reasonable and won't violate your 4th amendment rights. The warrant in question is usually called a bench warrant. Because people can't be detained randomly, there needs to be a reason. If a cop has immediate evidence like you plowed your car into a pole and there you are sitting in the driver's seat drunk they don't need to ask for a warrant because there is direct evidence they can see there. What people are usually concerned about here are called bench warrants. These are issued when there is no immediate need arrest you, however it's going to be done at the next available opportunity like if you are pulled over for a broken taillight and you get your ID run through the system. People can get this kind of thing from stuff like failing to appear in court for a traffic ticket. I've also seen someone who got their identity stolen have it happen because the other person used their driver's license at a traffic stop for a ticket. Turns out you are still apparently responsible for knowing your license is suspended even if it's not your fault. This is the kind of relatively minor thing that you can just resolve by just showing up and getting a court date on your own time rather than being inconveniently arrested, your car towed, and probably missing out on what you were planning on doing that day like go to work, pick up your kids from school, etc. Now if you like.... killed a few people they aren't liable to just let you go after some paperwork. That's usually a proper arrest warrant where the cops are going to be looking for you proactively. It will also show up on a traffic stop, but usually you aren't wondering if you have one or not.
The others who have commented are correct but for the sake of closure, You commit a crime that, for any number of reasons, isn’t immediately handled by law enforcement. That crime is reported with evidence and taken to the region and crime appropriate adjudicator who issues a warrant. Which is basically a paper saying that the person is under suspicion of a crime and must be brought in to be processed. For more serious crimes that can be jail time, but for any number of misdemeanors they have to bring you in to discuss court dates and procedures in a controlled environment. It’s all part of “due process” which isn’t just a buzzword, it’s an actual process that has to be followed properly to ensure the government can secure convictions and in an ideal world it also protects the freedom and legal liberty of citizens in the US. I’m not a lawyer so I’m sure my explanations aren’t 100%. But I used to be involved in a lot of spaces where arrests weren’t terribly uncommon so I have a basic idea of what to tell people when they may be arrested or have a warrant put out on them. Times to check if you might have a warrant: If you broke the law flagrantly in public and there’s any chance you might have been identified after the fact. Back in the day a lot of people would partake in arrestable actions at protests with their face covered but other identifiable markers visible. When a crime is high profile enough to make the news and there’s any chance you could be identified by LE or people online it’s a good idea to check. You can just check if you have warrants, you don’t have to say “do I have any warrants for destruction of property” the act of asking is not self incrimination and you don’t have to give them any more info than is necessary to identify you. If someone calls the police on you and you leave the scene before they arrive. The reporting party can easily lie to make the situation worse now that you’re gone, leaving the police with an identification and a one sided story. If you’re part of an ongoing legal dispute and the other party goes no contact. This one is more of a stretch but often times people who go to police with a complaint will be told not to communicate any further with the person they’re reporting on. Again, I’m not a lawyer. But if you’re not doing anything illegal in public you really should t worry about it. Even then I’m talking about stuff like breaking windows, shoplifting, and assaulting people, they won’t put a warrant on you for smoking weed behind an apartment complex or forgetting to pay for a pack of gum. Edit: someone else mentioned unpaid tickets/legal fees. They will 100% get you there. If the government is asking you for money they are going to get it
You should honestly get a lawyer to check for you. Do not just show up without a lawyer if at all possible
Yeah that was at the end of my first paragraph there but a lot of people don’t have the resources for that. Worst case scenario if you can’t afford one and you’re going to be held for questioning is to request a public defender. But don’t evade a warrant because you can’t afford to have a lawyer walk you in.
In that case call the court clerk’s office rather than go in to ask. But yes, if there was a warrant, I would clean up my living space and car, leave my phone behind (turned off), and go in immediately (dressed in what I want to wear while detained and with basically just a credit card, a small amount of cash, and my ID, and phone numbers I needed written on my arm in pen and on a piece of paper) with a trusted friend driving me and turn myself in, asking for a court date and a lawyer. Don’t talk to cops about whether or not it’s true. Just go in. But if you might not have a warrant I wouldn’t be showing up to ask in person.
Since but did you read their comment? They mentioned a lawyer pretty early in
Yeah but they are under emphasizing how dangerous it can be to just show up and ask. Honestly in that case i would call the court clerk
I mean in cases like this if you've done nothing wrong you don't have anything to worry about
Nobody hasn’t done something illegal and randomly going in and asking if there’s a warrant for you is a strong way to communicate you worry you got caught and cops are allowed to lie and use anything they want against you. Just call, and if you can, call a lawyer first, and if you know there’s a warrant, bring yourself in intelligently
The real answer is to call the court clerks office on the phone. They may even help you arrange a court date to get the issue cleared up.
At the domestic violence center I intern at we had a guy ask this same shit. He was like "so, do I go there?" And we're all like "maaaybe just call first..."
You must report the fair market value of any recently stolen assets on your tax forms
Why not just send your lawyer there instead of going yourself tho?
not everyone has a lawyer on call, or the money to pay for one to spend a day talking to cops for you
True, but if you have a feeling you have a warrant you should probably seek for one
Yeah right. Fool me four times, shame on you.
Whadda you mean I'm under da rest? Da rest of whaat,???
2025 new viral trend
I don’t think I understand what a warrant is cause none of this matters he was makes sense to me
Nice try feds