Failure to Appear/Bench Warrant Surrender Program
821 W. State St., Room 417
Milwaukee, WI  53233
Phone:  (414) 278-2140
Fax:  (414) 278-2146

The goal of the Failure to Appear/Bench Warrant Surrender program is to reduce the number of outstanding bench warrants and to provide a means for defendants who have missed court appearance to resume their proceedings.

  • Conduct a CCAP and CCJIS check to determine if there are other open cases in Wisconsin and if the defendant is being held in custody;
  • Schedule daily alerts in the Pretrial Services Information for conducting follow-up telephone calls;
  • Print and mail an “FTA Notice” to the defendant, sending it to his/her last known address;
  • Telephone calls will be made daily until the defendant is contacted and an appointment for voluntary surrender is made.

When the defendant appears for voluntary surrender, the staff will:

  • Conduct an intake assessment and prepare the Return to Court report;
  • Escort the defendant to Court and distribute copies of the report to the District Attorney and defense counsel.

When the defendant does not appear for voluntary surrender, the staff will:

  • Prepare the status report for the Court, reviewing what efforts have been made to contact the defendant, updating any information about addresses or telephone numbers that have been found during the search process.

All Contacts for the Failure to Appear/Bench Warrant Surrender Program