Ribbon cutting for Cook County Sheriff's Central Warrant Unit in former 13th Police District Building...Wednesday

The official ribbon cutting for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's Central Warrant Unit in the former 13th Police District's Wood St. Station, 937 N. Wood, will be 6 p.m., Wed., Oct. 9.

Sheriff Tom Dart and 1st Ward Alderman Joe Moreno will officiate, according to the 1st Ward Office. Everyone is welcome to attend.

A tour of the facility and demonstrations by a K-9 unit will be part of the open house activities for the community from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Staffing
There will be approximately 75 officers and clerks working 7 days a week in two shifts between 5:30 a.m.to the next 12:30 a.m. 

The Central Warrants Unit is broken into multiple divisions. This new location is giving the Department the opportunity to bring them together under one roof. Currently the number of open warrants is approximately 40,000, said a spokes person for Dart's office. 

Functions
Main functions of the staff are to investigate and apprehend those with warrants for police fugitives, domestic violence, electronic monitoring of fugitives and child support. To achieve that in the most efficient manner they maintain a database of warrants, which is available to law enforcement personnel and the public; Criminal and Child Support. 

"This unit is one of the most elite in our department. It is a privilege to serve in it. The guys are highly trained, highly equipped. Just our presence in the neighborhood will be a benefit to you," Edward M. Burke, Jr., Cook County Assistant Chief Deputy Sheriff, told community members at the May 6 East Village Association (EVA) meeting. 

Sheriff's Office
While the Sheriff's office is the second largest in the country, their operations are broken down into departments of which Warrants is one. Though all the Sheriff's deputies can function like any other police officer, in the City of Chicago, they primarily focus on other services.

Those services include process serving, fugitive apprehension, enforcing evictions and levies, securing courthouses, securing and operating the average-daily 9,000-plus detainee population of the Cook County Jail, transporting prisoners and overseeing offender rehabilitation programs.

Former use
The last roll call at the Chicago's 13th Police District Wood St. Station was on Dec. 18, 2012. Each officer signed out as a member of the 12th Police District, 1412 S. Blue Island.

After attempts to keep the 13th in existence failed, the battle began to keep a Chicago Police Department presence in the building. Moreno set up a team to evaluate the building.