From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
[January 21, 2015, Bel Air, MD] This week, Sheriff Gahler worked with members of the Harford County Delegation in Annapolis, to sponsor legislation that would limit tax refunds to individuals with active arrest warrants in the county.
This legislation would include Harford County in the existing “Warrant Intercept Program”. This program, established in 2012, by members of the Anne Arundel County delegation, authorizes an official of the federal, state, or local government, charged with serving a criminal arrest warrant to certify to the Comptroller that an individual has an outstanding warrant and to request that the Comptroller withhold the individual’s income tax refund. This proposal would only apply to individuals who are residents of Harford County or have an outstanding warrant from Harford County and are residents of the State of Maryland.
Other counties have followed suit, in recent years, and the legislation has expanded to include Baltimore City and Washington County. Harford County Delegation Chairman Rick Impallaria thinks this is a good plan for Harford County, and makes “good common sense”. Impallaria applauds Sheriff Gahler for initiating this plan, and working to build on the successes other counties are already experiencing. Impallaria offered, “This is a fantastic idea. We should not be issuing tax refunds to people until they have satisfied the terms of their warrants.”
On any given day, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office has approximately 2,500 active arrest warrants. Of the program, Gahler commented, “It is my strong belief that this program will be beneficial in helping to reduce the current number of warrants and provide an incentive for citizens to address warrants in a timely manner when they are issued.”
h says
I have an idea. If they are filing a tax return and are a Harford county resident, they have an address. Screw their refund go arrest them.
Jesus Christ these aren’t even the tough problems, we are so screwed.
vietnam vet says
Sounds like we need to increase our bounty hunters, apparently there is a shortage.
SoulCrusher says
Its actually a good idea. Many people with legal issues use other people’s addresses to receive Tax Refunds, SSI, Disability Checks, etc..
Bernie Madoff says
If only I had known this.
SoulCrusher says
Good One
h says
Well if using other peoples address’s is the issue here is another idea. Cut off every ones refund, disability, and ssi check to that address and not just the person with an outstanding warrant.
Sweet jesus you morons couldn’t solve a problem if someone gave you the answer. Seriously people this isn’t the tough stuff.
SoulCrusher says
Why would you cut off the other people that have no warrants? Can you say lawsuit?
SoulCrusher says
Its not just incorrect addresses. About 10 years ago I had a case where the guy was getting his check held at the Post Office by the Post Master in Severn. Apparently, the guy gave the Post Master a sob story about how he was homeless. I do believe it was an unemployment check that the Post Master was holding, which I think was against protocol, none the less. I ended up catching him at the Post Office, but it took a month of watching his parent’s home (which is where the check was addressed to), the Post Office and a local Walmart where he was cashing his checks at. When there is a will, there is a way…..
Christopher Boardman says
Not a good idea. Warrants are just documents issued by judges compelling an individual to appear before a court that has an outstanding issue. They do not establish innocence or guilt. Tax refunds should not be withheld because those are monies due the taxpayer that he is entitled to (assuming the tax return has been honestly completed).. The court already has its own mechanism to impose financial constraints; they’re called bail, bond or fines in the instance where guilt and a sentence or judgment have been determined. Law enforcement agencies already have the wherewithal to pursue those with outstanding warrants–they’re called the police. Sheriff Gahler should already know all of this as he has been with the State Police for many years. Why would people want to give the state more power over the lives of individuals when it already has enough tools to use to compel people to appear in court?
Mike Welsh says
I like the idea, especially if it requires withholding funds from those who would also be receiving EITC along with those whose warrant is for failure to pay child support already ordered by the court. This idea seems like it does not take anything away from someone. Rather it only withholds the funds until the warrant is satisfied.
Hank says
So? They can get their tax refund once they turn themselves in and get the warrant taken care of. It’s also not uncommon for the address on the warrant to not be their current address, usually because the person doesn’t actually have a fixed address and just flops on a friend’s couch until that friend gets sick of their bs and tells them to get out, they moved and never updated their address with MVA, they gave a bad address during their last contact with the police, etc. Some people are easy to find and some people aren’t.
In any case, it’s always better to just turn yourself in voluntarily when you know you have a warrant. At leas that way you can plan for it and do it more or less on your own terms rather than get arrested in front of your kids or on a traffic stop and have the additional expense of having your car towed.
h says
Mr Boardman, chances are if you have a warrant there is a very good reason for it. It is unlikely after being arrested on a child support warrant you would be found to not owe the money or there is a failure to appear warrant thrown out because you did appear. The real reason this is a bad idea is the government will screw it up and people will be fighting for years to get back money that should have never been taken. The comedy here is the government wants to collect money of people who’s where abouts is known. These are people who worked, made income held a job got a w-2 and are filing returns. We aren’t searching for DB Cooper here.
SoulCrusher says
Actually, a warrant is a powerful legal document that orders the arrest of whomever its issued for. Any document that leads to your arrest and subsequent incarceration is far more powerful than an act of compulsion.
Lance from Hickory says
I believe the intercept program only withholds the Maryland Tax Refund and by law cannot withhold the Federal Tax Refunds. Does anyone even get a MD tax Refund, I OweMalley every year??
Telling it like it is says
Here’s an easy solution: Dear Mr. Taxpayer, your state tax refund check is ready to be picked up at the Sheriff’s office. Please bring photo ID and a toothbrush.
Christopher Boardman says
The whole point about this is it’s redundant and ultimately not necessary. Do you think a person who is trying to escape apprehension on a murder warrant will say, “Wait a second, I better go back and get that state check. Otherwise I won’t have the funds to escape!” This could be part of a comedy script about stupid criminals. If someone is in that much trouble, it’s easier to pull off a heist somewhere than go back where good ol’ law enforcement is waiting for him rubbing their hands. The other point is that if someone has a job and is getting a tax return, with addresses and everything else verified, why would he be sleeping on someone else’s couch to avoid detection? He would be back in his house and would already have been served with the warrant. If he is someone trying to avoid child support payments, doesn’t the law already allow tax returns to be seized to make the payments? In that case there would be no state check to return to pick up.
I think this is just a political exercise by Sheriff Gahler to demonstrate that he can get something passed if he wants to have it passed, even though the measure has little practical application.
Phil Dirt says
As County Council President, don’t you have the power to… oh, that’s right. Never mind.
Christopher Boardman says
Phil, I’m not county council president. Where have you been? I didn’t get past the primary election. In any case Gahler’s proposal goes before the state legislature, not the county council. So even if I was the council president, I wouldn’t be able to kill the proposal. Thanks for thinking of me though.
TJ says
If they pass this there should be a clause that if the warrant was cleared and the money should never have been with held the Sheriffs office gets a 4 times fine. So lets say Gahler holds up a $3000 refund and it’s a mistake he gets to write a $12.000 check out of the sheriffs operating budget payable to the victim.
Sounds fair to me.