Although federal and state criminal procedure laws allow the judiciary to issue a range of arrest orders, only criminal courts can deliberate on police requests for the issuance of active arrest warrants. In Columbia County, IN, representatives of the sheriff’s department have to place a formal petition in front of the court in their bid to procure an arrest order.
This writ works as an informative instrument that gives the sitting magistrate the information needed to ascertain probable cause to suspect the person whose name the warrant is being requested.
Once convinced of the person’s guilt in question, the judge signs the arrest order making it an official legal tool that allows the police to take an individual into custody and hold him/her until such time that he/she is presented before the court.
A duly signed active detention order stays in effect even if it takes ten or more years to arrest under its provisions. All pending arrest directives are stored in an FBI hosted and maintained database; these are legally known as outstanding arrest warrants.
Columbia County Sherriff’s Department is authorized to retrieve arrest records related to this central depository for public members who may seek such information. However, for a warrant search, the applicant has to personally visit the law enforcement agency’s office at 35 West Main Street, PO Box 380, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815.
Contacting the records clerk will help if you are looking for details on a warrant search procedure. The necessary information will only be handed to you when you visit them in person.
How do you inquire about active warrants and recent arrests from Columbia County over the phone? (2021-current)
- If you are interested in learning about recent arrests, contact the Columbia County Jail at 570 389-5718.
- If you need to know about a criminal investigation, contact the Criminal Investigations Unit of Bloomsburg PD at 570-317-2846 if the crime has occurred in Bloomsburg or call your local law enforcement office.
- If you are interested in basic information or want to register a non-emergency complaint, dial the following phone number: 570-389-5622
- If you want more information about obtaining criminal court records, connect with the Clerk’s Office at 570-389-5614.
- If you want to find out about help offered to crime victims, contact the Columbia County Victim-Witness Program at 570-389-5658.
Crime Statistics for Columbia County, Pennsylvania
According to the crime related data released by the law enforcement offices of Columbia County, 2018 saw the filing of nearly 1,410 criminal complaints. This was a mere 5% lower than the crime average of 2017, which stood at 1,480 incidents. Of the cases registered in 2018, around 380 were against violent crimes while 1,050 were against property crimes.
Despite the increase of almost 50% in the crime rates, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, continues to retain a spot on the list of areas in the state with the lowest crime numbers. This can be attributed to the county’s crime rate being meager, to begin with; only double-digit figures were observed in 1998. So, the increase just pushed the number of incidents up by a mere 20 cases.
Over this decade, a total of 6500 plus crime reports were filed in Columbia, of which less than 5 were homicides, and just about 120 were sexual assaults. The majority of the incidents fell in the theft and robbery category with nearly 5000 cases.