The statewide rollout of the eSearch Warrant program, which allows police to request and judges to authorize or deny search warrants electronically, was completed at the end of October and is now active in all 120 Kentucky counties. The Administrative Office of the Courts and Kentucky State Police partnered to bring the system online.
“This is a significant milestone for the justice community,” AOC Director Zach Ramsey said. He added that the Judicial Branch is proud to help bring more security, efficiency, control and accountability to the search warrant process. He noted that the technology team, working with KSP, had pushed hard to reach this point, and that this progress moves Kentucky closer to achieving a fully electronic court record.
So far, officials have filed 6,681 search warrant applications since the program launched. Of those applications, 4,589 have been executed, 73 denied and 1,771 authorized and awaiting execution.
The AOC and KSP had already been working on an electronic search warrant system when the Attorney General’s Search Warrant Task Force recommended a statewide digital warrant process in 2021.
The agencies began the eSearch Warrant pilot program in March 2022 in Harrison County. Nicholas, Pendleton, Robertson and Scott counties later joined the pilot. After the pilot ended in September 2022, the program continued to grow, expanding into eight to 12 new counties each month until October 2025. The final seven counties to join were Allen, Boyle, Letcher, McLean, Mercer, Muhlenberg and Simpson, completing the multiyear statewide implementation.
The Lexington Police Department and the 43 law enforcement agencies serving Jefferson County, including Louisville Metro Police, also went online this year.
The system operates on the eWarrant platform, which KSP has used since 2009. Using the existing technology, LexisNexis developed the eSearch Warrant program for KSP, while the AOC provided the case management component. The Supreme Court of Kentucky approved the eSearch Warrant system with Administrative Order 2023-29.
“We’re excited to build on the success of the eWarrants platform and bring the same efficiency to search warrants,” KSP Major Bradley Arterburn said. He explained that the partnership with the AOC allows law enforcement to use proven technology in new ways that help troopers and officers act quickly and securely. He added that the expansion modernizes how law enforcement and courts work together, improves communication, increases efficiency and strengthens public safety across the state.
Administrative Office of the Courts
The AOC in Frankfort serves as the operations arm of the Kentucky court system. It supports nearly 3,300 court employees and 412 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The agency also administers the Judicial Branch budget.
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