Carter Files Bill To Permit Electronic Warrant and Summons

February 8, 2011

(AUSTIN, TX)  – Representative Stefani Carter (R-Dallas) has filed legislation that will allow law enforcement to more easily obtain an arrest warrant or summons by utilizing an electronic broadcast system.

Carter worked with local Dallas County officials to craft House Bill 976, which will enable a law enforcement officer to appear before a judge through electronic means, such as videoconferencing, in an effort to expedite the issuance of a warrant or summons.

“As a former prosecutor, I have a particular interest in any measure that could make our criminal justice system more efficient,” said Carter. “With our courts already inundated and law enforcement officers spread so thin in many metropolitan areas, the use of technology can certainly help to alleviate some of the strains being placed on the system.”

HB 976  requires that a recording of the communication between the officer and the judge be produced, preserved, and made available, upon request, to a defendant’s attorney for the cost associated with reproducing the recording.

The bill also defines “electronic broadcast system” and includes secure Internet videoconferencing in the definition as a method by which a magistrate can issue a warrant or summons.

“Law enforcement officers have already begun to use technology to better serve and protect the public,” said Carter. “This bill simply gives them another tool to continue those efforts.”

For more information, contact:
Taurie Randermann, Chief of Staff