Should Process Servers Chase Criminals?

• August 23, 2011
• by ServeNow.com Staff
• In the News

Process servers deal with legal matters on a daily basis as they handle paperwork and court filing. Due to this exposure, the chance of process servers interacting with criminals is higher than the average individual. This begs the question, how involved should process servers be in responding to criminal matters, namely, should process servers chase criminals?

Process Servers are not Police Officers

While process servers and sheriffs both serve legal documents, process servers are not police officers. They do not have the training and authority to respond to criminal activity. Instead, process servers chasing criminals may put themselves in harm's way, or interfere with official law enforcement's efforts to capture or investigate an individual engaging in criminal acts.

Process servers often deal with the threat of assault, so defense training is a realistic way to approach and maintain your safety. Choosing to chase criminals increases the chances of assault, which process servers should already try to avoid. Since process servers are exposed to many individuals involved in court cases and sometimes criminals, they should always be wary of their own safety and carry a cell phone to call appropriate authorities should a situation escalate.

Even though many process servers have military or law enforcement backgrounds, their first instinct should be to call law enforcement to respond to the situation.