By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pima County Sheriff’s Department conducted its annual domestic violence warrant sweep this week, serving arrest warrants to suspects across the county.
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Over the course of two days, law enforcement traveled across the county, serving arrest warrants to suspects of domestic violence.
13 News’ Payton May joined detectives as they went door-to-door and took several people into custody.
Detectives serve warrants across county
More than 500 people across the county have outstanding domestic violence warrants.
Over the past two days, detectives focused on 126 of them, serving envelopes to people with DV charges from the last five years.
Jesse Campbell, a PCSD Domestic Violence Unit detective, said the warrants involve a range of circumstances.
“It could be people that just miss the court date, or they had like a summons and didn’t show up for court; some of it is people that are actively trying to avoid prosecution from the Pima County Attorney’s Office,” Campbell said.
Not every door knock ends in an arrest, but Campbell said every interaction is a step towards justice for victims.
“If we’re able to kind of help and show victims that we’re out there getting people, it might be something that they see. ”Hey, I’m not afraid to report this in the future,’ especially if they know that things like this are being taken seriously,” Campbell said.
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Team says even a few arrests make a difference
Campbell said his team may only arrest a handful of people during the sweep, noting that some suspects won’t be home or may have moved.
Given that one in three women in the area have experienced domestic violence, according to the University of Arizona, Campbell said the effort is always worth it.
“Whether it’s one warrant or five, it goes to reinforce that what we’re doing is the right thing,” Campbell said.
After the arrest, suspects usually receive another court date. Campbell said it’s also another chance to make Pima County safer for domestic violence victims.
“If they can see us being out here enforcing this, hopefully this gives someone a little bit of courage to speak up,” Campbell said.
Self-reporting event set for Friday
Those with DV-related warrants can self-report at Pima Consolidated Justice Court from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16. The address is 240 North Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788. Additional resources are available through the University of Arizona’s Support Services hub and at EMERGE.
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