Have You Been Ignoring Traffic Tickets?

From now through the end of December, people in Santa Clara County with arrest warrants for non-violent misdemeanors and traffic tickets will be able to get a new citation and court date with no threat of arrest, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office and police departments of all cities in the county are participating in the annual program Operation Second Chance through Dec. 31, sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup said.

Over the past 10 years since the program started, more than 2,800 people have participated and avoided doing jail time over the holidays in December by self-surrendering, Stenderup said.

Those with arrest warrants may go to any of the city police stations in the county, to sheriff’s headquarters at 55 W. Younger St. in San Jose or the sheriff’s south substation at 80 W. Highland Ave. in San Martin, to turn themselves and obtain their new citation, Stenderup said.

The citation will include a new court date for which each individual must promise to appear, he said.

The program is directed toward warrants for most misdemeanor crimes, no matter what the bail amount is, including those stamped with “No cite and release” and “No bail,” but there are notable exceptions, according to the sheriff’s office. Felony crimes are excluded from the program, as are misdemeanors that involved violence, such as warrants for domestic violence, and any warrant pertaining to the use of a firearm, resisting arrest and giving false information to a police officer, sheriff’s officials said.

Police departments taking part in the Operation Second Chance this year include Campbell, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto.

Most of the police departments will accept self-surrenders generally during daytime hours, but sheriff’s headquarters on Younger Street will accept self-surrenders 24 hours a day, seven days a week through Dec. 31, according to the office.

--Bay City News

--Patch File Photo