The rollout of the eSearch Warrant program that lets police request and judges authorize or deny search warrants has been completed and is now live in all 120 Kentucky counties.

Making the project a reality has been a collaboration between the Administrative Office of the Courts and Kentucky State Police.

“This is a significant milestone for the justice community,” said AOC Director Zach Ramsey. “The Judicial Branch is proud to be part of bringing more security, efficiency, control and accountability to the search warrant process. Our technology team, in partnership with KSP, has worked diligently to get us to this day. This progress also brings us a step closer to what will be another major achievement – a completely electronic court record.”      

The latest figures indictate 6,681 search warrant applications have been filed since the program began. Of those, 4,589 have been executed, 73 have been denied and 1,771 have been authorized and are awaiting execution.

The AOC and KSP were already collaborating on an electronic system for search warrants when the Attorney General’s Search Warrant Task Force recommended in 2021 creation of a statewide digital process for requesting and processing warrants.

The AOC and KSP launched the eSearch Warrant pilot program in March 2022 in Harrison County. Nicholas, Pendleton, Robertson and Scott counties joined later that year. After the pilot ended in September 2022, the program expanded by eight to 12 counties each month through this October. The rollout finished with the addition of the final seven counties — Allen, Boyle, Letcher, McLean, Mercer, Muhlenberg and Simpson — completing the multiyear, statewide implementation.

The Lexington Police Department and the 43 law enforcement agencies that serve Jefferson County, including the Louisville Metro Police Department, also went online this year.

"We’re excited to build on the success of the eWarrants platform and bring the same efficiency to search warrants," stated KSP Major Bradley Arterburn. “This partnership with the AOC allows us to use proven technology in new ways that help our troopers and local officers act quickly and securely when it matters most. The expansion modernizes how law enforcement and the courts work together, streamlining communication, improving efficiency and strengthening public safety across the Commonwealth.”

The program works off the eWarrant platform that KSP had been using since 2009. Employing the existing technology, LexisNexis developed the eSearch Warrant program for KSP. The AOC provided the case management system component.