Dallas Municipal Court pop-ups help people resolve unpaid tickets, outstanding warrants
DALLAS - Those who have unpaid tickets in the city of Dallas have a great opportunity to clear those up, save some money, and help the homeless at the same time.
The city of Dallas Municipal Court is going to different locations this weekend, including the White Rock Library on Ferguson Road.
Libraries are where people go to check out books, but this weekend, the White Rock Library will be a place where people can clear their name off the books, the books of outstanding warrants at the city of Dallas.
And people can bring a blanket to save some bucks.
The Dallas Municipal Court, located at 2014 Main Street, is where people go to pay citations for traffic or other minor violations.
Arlene Tucker paid her fine on Friday.
"I got it done," she said. "I don't want no warrant."
Having a warrant is no laughing matter. In fact, there are more than 500,000 outstanding warrants for citations in the city of Dallas.
"We want to help people clear their warrants. The city manager's office, city attorney's office, are concerned about the number of warrants," Dallas Municipal Court Administrative Judge Preston Robinson said.
So to help clear up those warrants, Robinson is bringing court to the people.
Pop-up municipal court is coming this weekend to the White Rock Library on Ferguson Road and the Willie B. Johnson Recreation Center in Hamilton Park.
It will also be held next weekend at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and the Mattie Nash Recreation Center in West Dallas.
It will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday, and there's money motivation for people to go out.
"This year, we are accepting gently used or a new blanket, and with that blanket it will cover the cost of the warrant fee, which is traditionally $50," Robinson explained.
Many people took advantage of this opportunity when municipal court set up in West Dallas last year.
"We can set you up on a payment plan. We can set you up on community service. We have different programs that the court offers, and everything offered at 2014 Main Street is going to be offered here at the pop-up court," Dallas Municipal Court Administrator Greg Nelson said.
"I believe we've eliminated some of the obstacles that people have, and especially monetary options. We've narrowed these things down for them," Robinson added.
People are not going to be arrested if they pop in at the pop-up municipal court and take care of their business.
The goal is to reduce outstanding warrants and clear people’s names.