Administration and HR are responsible for general office operations and related clerical requirements. Ranging from supporting our main lobby, receipt of paperwork and employee on-boarding tasks such as ID cards and building access.

The Civil Process Division is assigned to serve civil court documents issued from the various courts of Douglas County. These documents include but are not limited to summons, citations, garnishments, hearings to appear, income withhold orders, move out orders, notice to appears, court orders, orders to appear and show cause, out of county papers, out of state papers, protection from abuse orders, subpoenas, tax warrants, and writs.

These Courts would include District Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court, and Juvenile Court. Civil process is also received from other counties within the state of Kansas as well as out-of-state district courts.

There is a service fee associated with some of the services of civil process as listed below. The Sheriff’s Office DOES NOT accept civil process by fax machine.

The division also collects delinquent tax owed from any unpaid previous Douglas County property tax bills. The division is located on the Second Floor of the Judicial and Law Enforcement Building, 111 E. 11th Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. The hours of operation are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. F

Per 2004 HB 2293, there is a service fee for serving civil process within the State of Kansas. This fee applies to each address served.

In-State Sheriff’s Fee Payment Procedures:

• Payment by Check/Money Order is due at the time of filing.
• Make the Check or Money Order payable to the Douglas County Sheriff in the amount of $15.00 per address for service.
• If you have multiple service addresses on one case, you should include all service fees on one check/money order.
• You will need a separate check/money order for each case filed. List the case number of the check/money order.
• Attach the check/money order to the top of the court filing. The Clerk of the District Court will forward your payment to the Sheriff’s Office with the papers to be served.
• Civil process that is exempt from service fees will have the words “Fee Exempt” noted on the top of the Service Request Form.
• Payment by cash is discouraged.

In-State Service Fee Exceptions/Exemptions:

• Protection from Abuse Orders
• Protection from Stalking Orders
• Tax Warrants filed after July 1, 2004
• Service for process filed by Government agencies-city, county, or state.
• Indigent persons that have filed an indigent affidavit with the court. A copy of the affidavit needs to be attached to the court documents.
• Post-decree divorce motions (legal custody, residency, visitation rights or parenting time or modification of child support).
• All papers, order, etc. related to criminal cases.

Actions under the Probate Code, which include:

• Certified Probate Proceeding
• Probate of an estate or will
• Determination of descent of property
• Termination of life estate
• Adoption
• Filing a will and affidavit
• Guardianship
• Conservatorship
• Trusteeship
• All other exemptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

NOTE: The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office does NOT serve court documents filed in Federal Court.

Out-of-State Service Fees:

• There is a $50.00 service fee per defendant.
• The check/money order is made payable to the Douglas County Sheriff’s office. You may use one check/money order per case.
• Attach the check/money order to the top of the court documents. When available, list the case number on the check.
• Court documents to be served should be sent to: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office/Civil Process Division, 111 E. 11th Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044.
• Court documents should be accompanied by the following:
• A self-addressed stamped envelope (for the return of service).
• Service instructions explaining your states requirements for service.
• A Return of Service document. Our office can provide an Affidavit of Service if you do not provide this document.
• A cover letter explaining who is to be served, the address(es) for service, any information that will assist in service (place of employment, telephone number, physical descriptions, etc.) and contact information of the attorney of person issuing the court document.

Out-of-State Service Fees Exceptions/Exemptions:

The following out-of-state court documents are exempt from the $50.00 service fee:

• Protection from Abuse and Protection from Stalking Orders that meet the requirements of the Violence Against Women’s Act 18 U.S.C. 2265.
• Court documents filed by government agencies – city, county, and state.
• All other exemptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• For further inquires contact the Civil Process division using the link above

Facing possible eviction? A list of resources that can help is available HERE. 

EVICTION PROCESS
In all cases an attorney should be consulted for additional information.

NOTICE TO VACATE – Written three (3) day notice to vacate, given to the tenant from the landlord notifying the tenant to leave the premises. Notice must be given at least three (3) days prior to initiation of the lawsuit for rent and possession. KSA (Kansas Statutes Annotated) 61-3803 and 58-2540
FORCIBLE DETAINER – this is an official court document consisting of a summons and petition. The petition outlines the particulars or facts of the action filed by the landlord (plaintiff) against the tenant (defendant) and will list what the plaintiff is asking the court to do (judgment). This document is filed with the Clerk of the District Court. The Clerk of the District Court will assign a case number and court date. KSA 61-3804 and 61-3805
TRIAL – The judgment will depend upon what was listed in the Petition. Usually this will be for any back rent (money) and possession of the specific premises. The defendant has five (5) days after judgment is entered to file an appeal. KSA 61-3902. A supersedeas bond must be posted with the appeal. KSA 61-3906. If after the expiration of the five (5) days and no appeal and supersedeas bond have been filed a Writ of Restitution may be issued by the court.
WRIT OF RESTITUTION – This is an official court document that directs and orders the Sheriff’s Office to immediately remove the occupants of the specific premises and turn possession of the property to the Plaintiff*. Entry may be by whatever means necessary to affect the court order including the use of a locksmith. Cost for entry will be paid by the plaintiff. When filing the Writ of Restitution a Journal Entry must also be filed. The Journal Entry is a summary of the judgment entered at the trial (court hearing).
The Sheriff’s office has ten (10) calendar days from the date the Writ of Restitution is received to complete the eviction.
Prior to the Sheriff executing the Writ of Restitution a notice is delivered to the defendant or posted to the premises stating that the Sheriff’s Office has a court order to evict the defendant. The notice states a specific date that the Sheriff’s Office will affect the court order. This is a courtesy only as a notice is not required by law. This notice is given to allow the defendant one last chance to move on their own.
The Eviction or Writ of Restitution can only be canceled by the courts, the plaintiff, or the plaintiff’s attorney. The defendant cannot cancel the action.
KSA 61-3808

The landlord is responsible to move and store the tenant’s property. The landlord should check with their attorney for the length of time they are required to store the property.

Eviction laws are in Kansas Statutes Annotated Chapter 60 Article 38. Landlord and tenant laws are in Kansas Statutes Annotated Chapter 58 Article 25.

Court Security is made up of deputies whose job assignment is to provide security for the Douglas County Courthouse and the Douglas County Law Enforcement Center. They provide security for each division during any type of hearings from traffic court to murder trials.

They can also screen potential problems by searches including use of a metal detector. Court Security provides transportation for inmates from the jail to court and returns them after their hearing. They provide assistance and security to citizens coming into the buildings. 

Douglas County, KS District Court
111 E 11th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785)832-5256 

Municipal Traffic Tickets – Go to:
Municipal Court
1 Riverfront Plaza STE 310, Lawrence, KS 66044

Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery Team

The Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery Team, commonly referred to as the Dive Team, is responsible for responding to criminal related incidents involving bodies of water. The team is first and foremost utilized in its recovery capacity, which includes locating evidentiary items, removing the items, maintaining the evidence’s integrity, and documentation for testimonial purposes.

The Dive Team operates under the direction of the Sheriff. The Operations Undersheriff oversees the daily operations of the team. The team is comprised of a team leader, certified divers, and surface support personnel.

The Dive Team is currently comprised of personnel from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence Police Department and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical.

The members are trained by a certified training facility in both recovery and rescue. Annual evaluations of each member’s performance ensure the appropriate level of training is maintained to meet the Public Safety Diving’s industry standards. Members are responsible for maintaining certifications and equipment.

Monthly training sessions may include the following specialties:

• Ice Diving
• Vehicle Recovery
• Recovering Victims of Water Related Incidents
• Underwater Crime Scene Investigations/Evidence Recovery
• Moving Water
• Boat Operations
• Diver Emergencies

Dive Team members provide public education on water safety and education about the team to groups in Douglas County. This allows the citizens to understand the abilities and operations of the team, the importance of water safety, along with being introduced to the Dive Team’s protocols and equipment.

Mission Statement

The Douglas County Underwater Search and Recovery Team is committed to providing a safe, professional and effective service to the citizens of Douglas County and the State of Kansas. We are dedicated to maintaining the highest level of training available in the public safety diving community; while striving to grow with the needs of an expanding community.

Further information regarding national dive team organizations can be found at the following links:
Dive Rescue International

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Information Technology Division provides technological support in furtherance of the Sheriff’s Office mission.  Information technology support includes the following:

•   Provide help and support to Sheriff’s Office staff
•   Maintenance of Sheriff’s Office information systems
•   Network and Data Security
•   Development of new applications
•   Development and support of various web sites (like this one!)
•   Research new technologies
•   Configuration and deployment of desktop and server systems
•   Budget preparation for information technology

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division is staffed by three detectives, a computer forensic investigator, and a crime scene technician. In addition to the investigation of major crimes, the Investigations Division assists the Patrol Division through training, investigative follow-up, and evidence and crime scene processing.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division is a uniformed division that is responsible for patroling the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. This unit has an authorized strength of 29 officers. The responsibility of this unit includes responding to calls for service, crime suppression, traffic enforcement and accident investigation.

During the summer months, the Patrol Division is responsible for providing extra patrol to the area lakes such as Clinton Lake and Lone Star Lake. This patrol is funded through contracts with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Douglas County Public Works Department.

The Patrol Division assists other Douglas County Sheriff’s Office units when necessary, such as Civil Process, Warrant Service and Investigations.

The Patrol Division assists local police departments (Lawrence, KU, Eudora and Baldwin City) in the event of major occurrences.

Subdivisions of Patrol include Honor Guard and Dive Team.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will cooperate fully and fairly with authorized news media representatives in their efforts to gather factual public information relative to actions of the department as long as these activities do not overly impede with operations, investigations or violate individual rights or the law.

Media representatives have reasonable access to the Public Information Officer.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office also provides the current jail booking recap and inmates in custody listing available online or you can get a hard copy of them at the Law Enforcement Center.  

Official statements to the media regarding major cases will be released with the approval of the Sheriff or his designee.

An important part of the Sheriff’s Office Mission is a commitment to professional excellence and continued personal improvement. It is our policy to maintain a comprehensive training program that addresses the educational and developmental needs of our employees. This task is the responsibility of the Training Division.

The Training Division’s duties include:

• Testing job applicants
• Providing initial training for newly hired employees
• Coordinating annual refresher training for staff
• Overseeing training that is mandated by statute, standard, or regulation
• Delivering emergency or specialty training
• Encouraging staff professional growth by identifying their interest areas and assisting in their development as trained resources and instructors
• Maintaining departmental and individual training records
• Meeting the statutory training requirements for our commissioned officers

Training is presented using a variety of instructional methods:

• In-house training provided by staff instructors
• Area specialists brought in as instructors
• On-the-job training with assigned staff members
• Video, computer, satellite, or other multi-media training sources
• Professionally sponsored classes, schools, seminars, and conferences
• Self-directed study using department and outside resources

Training topics are many and varied with some being highly specialized. A partial list includes:

• Harassment Free Workplace
• Interpersonal Communications
• Interview/Interrogation Techniques
• Effective Report Writing
• Supervisor Development
• Computer Skills
• Defensive Tactics
• Firearms Qualification
• Non-lethal Weapon Use
• Emergency Vehicle Operation
• Accident Investigation
• Crime Scene Processing
• Constitutional Law
• Basic Emergency Medical Skills
• and more….

Many of our employees earn and maintain certifications in a number of areas including:

• CPR/AED
• Radar/Lidar Operator
• Taser Operator
• Intoxilyzer Operator
• Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
• Dive Rescue/Recovery
• K-9 Handler
• Emergency Medical
• and various Instructor Certifications.

Records organizes and ensures the accuracy of the assorted information sources required by the Sheriff’s Office.

Mission Statement

The Warrant Office of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office strives to make a positive difference in the lives of our citizens through acceptance of our social responsibilities as a law enforcement agency, and preservation of human life through execution and enforcement of our laws and warrants.

Goals

The goals of the Warrant Office are as follows:

• To perform the functions and duties of the Warrant Office in a professional manner at all times.
• To treat all individuals, public and private, with respect.
• To be courteous and respectful of any person accused of a crime.
• To focus on teamwork with co-workers and other law enforcement agencies to enable a timely and efficient manner when receiving and serving warrants or executing any legal proceedings.

 Duties

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Warrant Office is staffed by two (2) civilian personnel and one Warrant Officer. The Warrant Office receives and tracks roughly 2,600 warrants annually. Some warrants are received from other counties in Kansas and/or other states who request assistance with serving warrants in Douglas County. With the help of the Lawrence, Kansas Police Department and other law enforcement agencies, we serve over 3,000 of those warrants yearly. Annually, the Douglas County Sheriff’s office extradites approximately 40-50 fugitives from other states to appear in court on their charges in Douglas County.

The Warrant Office also provides electronic tracking of all warrants received by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Warrants received for crimes are entered into National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The NCIC is a national law enforcement tracking database that can be viewed by agencies across the United States.

Be aware of Offender Registration warrants scams. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will never call you about an offender registration warrant, or to “reclassify” your offender registration status. These scammers can be very convincing, and may even use the name of a Sheriff’s Office employee. We will never tell you to take care of a warrant over the phone using MoneyPak, Bitcoin, or any kind of prepaid money card. If you have any questions, please call us before you pay!