By: Sharon Aron Baron
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Civil Division conducted Operation Family Matters early Thursday, targeting people who haven’t paid court-ordered child support payments and those with domestic violence injunctions.
Nearly 30 deputies from the Civil Division, Reserve Unit, crime suppression teams and detention served 12 domestic violence injunctions, also known as restraining orders, and arrested nine people for failure to pay child support. Those nine people owed a total $5,818. The teams started out with 121 restraining orders and 259 warrants for failure to pay child support, also known as writs of bodily attachment.
“BSO is dedicated to addressing domestic violence head on. Only by bringing this issue into the light can we hope to eradicate it. Children deserve the support of their parents. Those parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support are hurting their children more than anyone else.” – Sheriff Scott Israel
BSO’s Civil Division carries out the sheriff’s statutory responsibility for the service of process and execution of writs. Annually, the division processes and serves more than 315,000 documents. In 2013, the division received 1,147 warrants for failure to pay child support and about 8,600 restraining orders.
These documents originate from the courts, governmental agencies and private attorneys in Florida and throughout the United States and include summonses, complaints and subpoenas, writs of possession for real estate, injunctions for protection against domestic violence, writs of garnishment and arrest orders.
The Civil Division also enforces levies and writs of attachment and conducts sheriff’s sales to aid in the collection of money judgments. The operation was held in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness month.
