The primary objective of the Criminal Warrants Unit is to locate and apprehend subjects who have outstanding arrest warrants and return them to the jurisdiction of the court. In Knox County, priority is given to violent offenders and offenders that are having a significant negative impact on our community. Criminal Warrants Unit personnel work hand in hand with the Clerk of Court and the State Attorney General’s Office, utilizing various computer databases to enter, maintain and execute every warrant received and to investigate the whereabouts of these individuals with the goal of eventually bringing about their arrest. Officers assigned to the Criminal Warrants Unit are tasked with the responsibility of participating in fugitive raids with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Several officers are assigned to the United States Marshal’s Smoky Mountain Regional Fugitive Task Force and travel throughout the East Tennessee District tracking violent offenders with the goal of taking them into custody. Often subjects will flee Knox County to avoid capture. Once an individual is located in another city, county, or state, the Criminal Warrants Unit begins the process of returning the individual to Knox county jurisdiction. This involves extensive communication with authorities and much legal documentation which eventually leads to officers traveling to the other jurisdiction to coordinate the fugitive’s apprehension and extradition and/or transport back to Knox County. Citizens wishing to provide information about persons with outstanding criminal warrants can report anonymously via the tip line or contact LEIDS at 865-215-2442.