YOU GET WISE--YOU GET TO CHURCH:

Area lawmen back Wilder's warrant plan: 'Minor offenders may find it easier to turn themselves in at a church location' (DAVID RESS, 11/01/06, Richmond TIMES-DISPATCH)

Getting fugitives to stop running isn't easy. Getting them to church might not be as hard -- even if it is to surrender, local law-enforcement officials say.

That's why they say they like the approach Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder is floating to help people with outstanding arrest warrants take the difficult first step of turning themselves in.

The idea is for judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers to set up shop in church, promising fast action for people who are ready to face their punishment.

The incentives go beyond the shorter sentences that people who turn themselves in usually receive. A key advantage of the approach is that it means no months-long wait in a crowded jail before going to a hearing.

Wait'll the ACLU gets ahold of that.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 1, 2006 6:03 PM