In Josephine County, Oregon, arrest warrants are strictly issued at the behest of the sheriff’s office. The local law enforcement agency will usually submit a formal complaint to procure an active warrant when an arrest cannot immediately be made after an illicit incident has occurred or when the act was being committed.
Probable cause has to exist for the police to justify custodial detention. However, this can only be ascertained when there is witness testimony that indicates the accused’s involvement in the matter. Such evidence is collected within a few hours of the incident. If the proof is primarily scientific or circumstantial in nature, the judiciary has to be notified.
The sitting magistrate is legally bound to study the case closely, and all evidence collected about it. This is done in a bid to ensure that a clear probable cause emerges that is enough for any person to hold the suspect responsible for the criminal act. An active warrant is possibly the most powerful of all legal instruments.
So, it is rightly also one of the only judicial provisions without a fixed expiry date. In fact, it is not uncommon to find outstanding warrants in the Josephine County police database that are at least a few decades old. Regardless of how old a warrant is, the police will still use it to effect an arrest as soon as the perpetrator is found.
When you initiate a formal warrant search through the office of the sheriff or a judicial agency, you will be granted access to arrest records from the state along with information on all arrest warrants issued in the name of your subject. To find these details, you can visit the following state departments:
- Sheriff’s office: 601 NW 5th Street, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526
- Magistrate’s office: 500 NW 6th St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
- County clerk’s office: 500 North West 6th Street, Grants Pass, Oregon 97528
Is there any way to get information about Josephine County active warrants and arrests over the phone? (2021-Update)
- To find out about recent arrests: Call the Josephine County Jail at 541-474-5140.
- To check for active warrants and request an arrest report: Contact the Sheriff’s Office at 541-474-5123, option- 3.
- To request general information or to file non-emergency complaints: Call the Sheriff’s dispatch phone number-(541) 474-5123.
- To get information on victim rights, advocacy and assistance, call Josephine County Victim Services at 541-474-5200.
- To learn more about criminal court records and accessing details on warrants: Contact the Court Administrator at (541) 476-2309.
Crime statistics of Josephine County
In 2019, about 440 criminal complaints were filed in Josephine County. Around 395 of these were linked to property crimes like larceny-theft (148), burglary (76), and car thefts (170). There were 31 cases of serious assault and 11 cases of rape among the 45 complaints filed in the category of violent crimes.
Older crime statistics
Of the nearly 2300 criminal incidents in Josephine County, OR annually, violent criminal complaints account for about 75 cases, while the remaining incident reports are filed in matters about property crimes. Over the ten-year period from 1999 to 2008, there was a dismal decrease of just 5% in these crime categories.