Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) encourages anyone with an outstanding SMC warrant, Unpaid Tickets and Suspended Licenses to attend this Warrant Outreach event. This event will be held in the community to make it as comfortable as possible for individuals to learn about their options and meet with a public defender without the fear of arrest. Outstanding warrants and unpaid traffic tickets may make it harder to get a job, secure housing and generally move forward in life. SMC will have staff available to answer questions, schedule hearings, and share information on resources and support services available through the Court. The King County Department of Public Defense will have attorneys available to answer questions and offer advice.
In addition, we will have support citizens with representatives from the Court’s Resource Center sharing information about Social Service resources.
The Warrant Outreach event will be held on Thursday, August 9, 2018, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Lake City Community Center, 12531 28th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125.
“Providing a safe and convenient way for individuals to resolve outstanding warrants aligns with SMC’s mission while saving taxpayers money through jail cost savings”, stated SMC Presiding Judge Karen Donohue. “Attendees will learn options to resolve their case and for those who need it, how to access social services and support through the Court Resource Center.” Information on relicensing assistance will also be offered.
SMC has over 9,400 outstanding warrants. It is anticipated that many event participants will be eligible to have their warrant quashed and the case scheduled for an upcoming hearing to resolve the underlying legal issue.
The Warrant Outreach event is a collaboration between the Seattle Municipal Court, King County Department of Public Defense, Seattle City Attorney’s Office, Seattle Police Department, Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Human Services Department. We anticipate additional events will be scheduled in 2018.
About Seattle Municipal Court
The Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) provides a forum to resolve alleged violations of the law in a respectful, independent and impartial manner. SMC processes more cases than any other municipal court in the State of Washington with seven elected Judges and five appointed Magistrates. The Court adjudicates misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor crimes, infractions, and civil violations authorized under the Seattle Municipal Code and certain Revised Code of Washington statutes. For more information visit: www.seattle.gov/courts.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gary Ireland, Public Information Officer, (206) 684-8710
Gary.Ireland@seattle.gov
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