Can an officer ask for money in lieu of sending me to jail?

Question

When I was pulled over 6 months ago for expired registration and suspended license, I was told I would receive a citation in the mail that never came. So the cops showed up at my home saying they had 2 bench warrants and we could resolve it on the spot if I paid the officer 100 cash or I'd have to go to jail . I told him I didn't have it and he gave me until Friday to call his cell with the money and he'd return to pick it up. Is this a legal procedure?

Charles Shaw · Answer

Contact state police stat.

Gary Moore · Answer

Call the court. You will probably discover that you have warrants that the bail is $100.00. Call the court, in any event to take care of the warrants and do it NOW.

William Spern · Answer

Call the local prosecutor and turn the officer in immediately.

Harley Gutin · Answer

I have never heard of such a legal procedure.

Jeffrey Pollock · Answer

On the surface, that would appear to be unethical.

Lorenzo L. Angelino · Answer

Absolutely not.  Please go to your local justice court to resolve your warrant.

Eric Chandler · Answer

No.

Steven D. Dunnings · Answer

No.

Jacob P. Sartz · Answer

If there was an interim bond for the warrants, then perhaps the officer was simply noting that if you pay the one-hundred dollars, you won't have to go to jail. However, generally, with outstanding warrants, you are still supposed to get booked first, even if you post bond immediately, so the court will be notified and set the matter for your next court-appearance.   I'd recommend you contact and notify a local defense attorney. There is always a possibility of some type of corruption.   It sounds suspicious to me. It's really suspicious if the cop was asking essentially for a pay-off. They are supposed to arrest you if you have warrants and let you sort out the bond issues.

James Schoenberger · Answer

Certainly not. Contact the court to see if there really is a bench warrant and contact the chief of police to report this incident.

Michael J. Breczinski · Answer

I have never heard of such a procedure. If he does not give you a receipt then something is not right.

Stephen Richards · Answer

No, that would be bribery.

Thomas Tomko · Answer

It appears that the money asked for is for a bond.  You would still need a Court date after that.  In some jurisdictions if the officer collects a bond, then you do not need to be arrested, taken to the station, and then post $100 bond.  This procedure is not commonly used as often now, and instead, appearance tickets are issued.  This involves giving you the ticket and then you have to go to the Court to post the $100 bond within 10 or 14 days.  Should you fail to go to court, then a warrant could be issued.  It works the same way, only the police officer does not handle the bond, and instead, you go to the Court.  You should call an attorney in the jurisdiction to see which is the common practice and if there is any need for alarm over the officer's actions.

Craig Elhart · Answer

This definitely sounds suspicious.  You should contact an attorney who can check with the Court to see if a warrant has been issued.  If the court has issued a warrant, you will need to clear it up with the Court not the police.

Dennis Roberts · Answer

This is horrendous. He is trying to solicit a bribe. A BIG CRIME. Anyhow you  should immediately go right to the DA office and offer to wear a wire when you  talk to the cop. Probably even better is if you have a lawyer do this initial  contact with the DA for you. Bust this POS. There are so many dishonest cops.  It would be great if you could nail one.

Cynthia Henley · Answer

Does not sound right.  You should contact the court and see what they say, and also contact the police department. If not legitimate, file a complaint with police internal affairs.

Samuel H. Harrison · Answer

Not in Georgia. You need to contact the district attoney or hire a private attorney to do so for you.

Jared Altman · Answer

No. It sounds like a set up to me. Don't give him a dime.

James H. Dippery · Answer

Not legal this week or next. My suggestion is to contact a different local law enforcement agency, tell them what happened, and assist them in setting up a sting operation.

Michael Maltby · Answer

This is certainly not legal and if there was a valid warrant, the officer had a duty to arrest you.

Edward Blum · Answer

No.  That is soliciting a bribe.

Jason Savela · Answer

No, that sounds like a bribe.

Mark Bruce · Answer

NO!  This is a scam!  Call the agency which allegedly issued the warrant (get the number from the telephone book) and talk to them.

Joseph Dane · Answer

This is an absolute scam.    First - get a lawyer because apparently there may be warrants out for your arrest.  Once you do that, tell them what's going on so they can contact the TRUE authorities about this.

Michael Lynch · Answer

This seems very wrong to me.  If an actual bench warrant exists you can  verify at the criminal clerks office.  If a warrant does not exist  report the incident to the real police.

Jeff Yeh · Answer

Absolutely not. You should contact the local news and have a reporter on standby at your house. Try and catch the cop in the act.

Mark R. Thiessen · Answer

No. That's called bribery or official oppression.  Call the local police and ask for internal affairs department.  They will set up a sting on this officer and take him down.

Christopher McCann · Answer

Uh, No! That sounds pretty illegal to me. Go to the station and make a complaint to the watch commander. But take care of your warrants first in court. Best to call a lawyer immediately.

David Ayer · Answer

While it is possible there is some statute where you live which allows this method of fine collection, it is highly unorthodox. You should call the court from which the warrant issued and inquire generally, and anonymously, about this. If speaking with the court does not resolve the question, speak with a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. On its face, this sounds like a scam.

Eric Sterkenburg · Answer

Other than an illegal bribe I have not come across any situation where an officer would take any form of payment on an infraction. The fact that he gave you his cell phone number and not an office number is also suspicion. You need to contact the court clerk and see if you have any warrants. Then deal only with the cashier at the court for money payments. You should report the contact of this officer to the police.

Stephen Freeborn · Answer

I would report this officer to his supervisor. What he/she is doing is absolutely wrong. What he/she is doing is extortion. This officer needs to be reprimanded or fired.

Kevin Ellmann · Answer

Absolutely not. This officer is likely committing a crime and you would be well served to contact your local Law Enforcement Agency (but not the same this officer belongs to) and advise them of the situation and cooperate with a sting to have this officer arrested. Not only will your payment to this officer not be legal, but it also probably would not serve to relieve you of the warrants if they actually exist.  This officer needs to be taken down.

Timothy Klisz · Answer

Sounds fishy. I would call the department and check on this to see if legitimate.

Jaime Cowan · Answer

No it is not. Check with the court to see if there is actually a warrant out for your arrest.

Jonathan Baner · Answer

Call the local police office is my advice.  Something sounds suspicious, but I do not know if that is a legal procedure where your at based on your facts or not.  A Bench warrant is a warrant issued typically due to a failure to appear in court, and it is an arrest warrant directing officers in Washington to arrest you and bring you before the judge (bench) that issued it.  You may also want to contact the court where the supposed bench warrant has been issued to schedule a motion to quash the warrant.

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