How to issue and track warrants

Warrants in eCourtDate are records you create under **Cases** > **Warrants** to log a warrant reference, its type and status, the case and bond it belongs to, and the date it was issued. Each warrant can carry an assigned judge, an assigned client, uploaded files, and a printable PDF.

### Overview

- **What it does:** Stores a warrant record with a **Reference**, **Type**, **Status**, **Case number**, **Bond number** and **Issued at** date, and lets you attach a judge, a client, files, and warrant text.
- **Why it matters:** Warrants stay searchable next to the cases and clients they belong to instead of living in a separate spreadsheet, and every record keeps its own audit log.
- **Who uses it:** Court staff, clerks, and agency administrators who track warrant activity in eCourtDate.
- **Expected outcomes:** A searchable list of warrants you can filter by type, status, creator, and issue date, and download as a PDF or CSV.

### Prerequisites

Before you create your first warrant, make sure you have:

- An eCourtDate account that can open **Cases** > **Warrants**
- At least one warrant status created under **Settings** > **Statuses** with the **Type** set to warrant, otherwise the **Status** dropdown does not appear on the create form
- Your warrant types listed at **Settings** > **Cases and Records** > **Warrant Types** if the built in list does not match your agency
- Judge profiles under **Settings** > **Judges** if you plan to assign a judge (see [How to Manage Judges](/how-to-manage-judges))
- Client and case records if you want to link the warrant to a client or a case number

### How-To Steps

#### Open the warrants list

1. Click **Cases** in the navigation.
2. Select the **Warrants** tab.

#### Create a warrant

1. Enter your primary system's ID for the warrant in the **Reference** field of the **Create Warrant** card.
2. Select a **Type**.
3. Select a **Status** if the dropdown is shown.
4. Select or enter the **Case number**.
5. Adjust the **Issued at** date, which defaults to today.
6. Click **Create** to save the warrant and open its page.

#### Add the warrant details

1. Select a **Location** if the warrant belongs to a specific court or office.
2. Enter the **Bond number** if the warrant is tied to a bond.
3. Enter a **Title** and a **Subtitle** in the **Warrant Data** card.
4. Select an **Audience**: **Law Enforcement**, **Judicial**, **Court**, **Public**, or **Other**.
5. Write the warrant text in the **Description** editor.
6. Click **Save**.

#### Assign a judge

1. Type a name in the **Search Judges** box.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click the judge in the results list to assign and save them to the warrant.
4. Click **View Profile** to open the judge's record in a new tab.

#### Send the warrant to the assigned judge

1. Enter your note in the **Message** box of the **Send a Message** card.
2. Click **Send** to message the judge's email address and phone number on file.

#### Assign a client

1. Type a name in the **Search Clients** box.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click the client in the results list to assign and save them to the warrant.

#### Attach supporting files

1. Choose one or more files in the **Upload Files** field.
2. Click **Upload**.
3. Click **Delete** next to a file to remove it.

#### Track warrants over time

1. Select a new **Status** on the warrant page as the warrant progresses.
2. Return to **Cases** > **Warrants** and use the **Search Warrants** card to filter by **Search**, **Case number**, **Bond number**, **Status**, **Type**, **Creator**, **Issued From**, or **Issued To**.
3. Click **Search**.
4. Click **PDF** or **CSV** above the results table to download the filtered list.

### What to Expect

Clicking **Create** saves the warrant and opens its own page, where the **Reference** appears as the heading. Changing **Type**, **Status**, or **Flow**, and clicking a judge or a client in a search result, save the warrant immediately. Every other field, including everything in the **Warrant Data** card, saves when you click **Save**. The **Audit Logs** card on the warrant page records when the warrant was created and last updated and who created it. Uploaded files are attached to that warrant and listed under the upload form. Nothing is sent to anyone until you use **Send a Message** or assign a **Flow**, and **Sync Messages** in the **Tools** menu queues a message sync for the warrant.

### Best Practices

- **Create your warrant statuses first** under **Settings** > **Statuses** so the **Status** dropdown appears on the create form and you can filter the list by status.
- **Set your own warrant types** at **Settings** > **Cases and Records** > **Warrant Types** as a comma separated list rather than working around the built in values.
- **Enter the reference from your case management system** so warrants in eCourtDate line up with your primary system.
- **Assign the client** so the warrant page shows that client's contacts and addresses while you work.
- **Archive rather than trash** a warrant you no longer need, then use the **Archived** checkbox to find it again later.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where do the options in the Type dropdown come from?**

A: From the comma separated list at **Settings** > **Cases and Records** > **Warrant Types**. When that setting is empty, eCourtDate falls back to arrest, search, bench, extradition, alias, social media, isp, and carrier.

**Q: Why is there no Status dropdown on the create form?**

A: The **Status** dropdown only appears once at least one status exists with the **Type** set to warrant. Create one under **Settings** > **Statuses**.

**Q: Can I print or download a single warrant?**

A: Yes. Click **PDF** at the top of the warrant page to download that warrant as a PDF file.

**Q: How is the Warrant status field on a case different from a warrant record?**

A: The field on the case record under **Cases** is free text you type on the case itself. It is separate from a warrant record and from that record's **Status**.

**Q: What do the social media, isp, and carrier types add?**

A: Selecting one of those types adds a matching card to the warrant page where you pick a provider and fill in its details: a username and a URL for social media, an IP address for isp, and a phone number for carrier. The **Social Media** and **ISP** cards include a **Generate** button that downloads a warrant request PDF.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The message to the assigned judge does not send.

**Symptoms:** Clicking **Send** shows "Judge has no contact information".

**Solution:**

1. Go to **Settings** > **Judges** and open the judge's profile.
2. Add an email address, a phone number, or both.
3. Return to the warrant and click **Send** again.

**Issue:** A warrant you created is missing from the list.

**Symptoms:** The results area shows "No Warrants found." even though the warrant was created.

**Solution:**

1. Clear the fields in the **Search Warrants** card and click **Search** again.
2. Close the client in the **Client** card if the list is filtered to one client.
3. Select the **Archived** or **Trashed** checkbox if the warrant was archived or trashed, then click **Search**.

**Issue:** Warrant Data entries do not stick.

**Symptoms:** **Title**, **Subtitle**, **Audience**, or **Description** revert after you reload the warrant.

**Solution:**

1. Finish your edits in the **Warrant Data** card.
2. Click **Save** at the top of the warrant page, since the **Warrant Data** card has no visible save button of its own.
3. Reload the page to confirm the values were stored.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate, click the **?** button in the bottom right corner, and select **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How to manage warrants](/how-to-manage-warrants)
- [How to Manage Cases](/how-to-manage-cases)
- [How to manage bonds](/how-to-manage-bonds)
- [How to define custom statuses](/how-to-define-custom-statuses)
- [How to Manage Judges](/how-to-manage-judges)
- [How to Check the Audit Logs](/how-to-check-the-audit-logs)