Child Support Arrest Warrant Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Child Support Arrest Warrant Project is a collaborative effort between the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (CSSD) and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s (LADA) Bureau of Investigation. The project began in December of 2007. Prior to implementation, CSSD’s child support enforcement efforts were hampered by an inability to effectively follow up on criminal warrants issued for the non-custodial parents most delinquent in making their court ordered child support payments. The goal of the project is to vigorously pursue parents who have demonstrated financial ability but choose to defy court orders to pay support without a valid excuse. The project increases efficiency by dedicating a team of District Attorney Investigators, sworn law enforcement officers, to serve warrants for CSSD. Relying on location information provided by CSSD staff, as well as tested investigative techniques and data bases available only to law enforcement personnel, the teams set began identifying the whereabouts of delinquent parents. The success of the project is owned in large measure to this close working relationship established between the CSSD and the LADA team. Since the inception of the project, the number of arrests warrants cleared by District attorney Investigators and the amount of child support payments collected from criminally charged offenders has increased dramatically. Of the 33 defendants whose cases have been most delinquent on their child support payments, 21 have either been arrested or have surrendered to court to avoid arrest.