U.S. Marshals have arrested over 10,000 fugitives as part of a large manhunt termed “Operation Falcon.”
U.S. Marshals Nab Over 10,000 in Dragnet
More than 10,000 fugitives, many wanted for violent crimes, were rounded up over the past week in a coordinated nationwide effort led by U.S. marshals. Officers from 960 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies took part in the concentrated search, which coincided with Crime Victims Rights Week, officials said. The dragnet caught 10,340 people, some of whom had two or more outstanding arrest warrants, Justice Department officials said. More than 150 who were arrested were wanted for murder, another 550 were sought on rape or sexual assault charges, and more than 600 had outstanding arrest warrants for armed robbery, officials said.
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Codenamed “Operation Falcon,” the dragnet was the largest ever in numbers of arrests and involved local, state and federal authorities, said Marshals Service spokesman David Turner.
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For all of last year, marshals arrested more than 36,000 people wanted on federal warrants, and worked with state and local authorities in catching another 31,600 fugitives, according to the Marshals Service’s Web Site.
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Congress gave the Marshals Service more money and authority to go after fugitives when it refocused the FBI̢۪s mission toward stopping terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Turner said. The Marshals Service now has five permanent regional task forces to search for fugitives, he added.
It’s not immediately clear why they waited around for Crime Victims Rights Week to arrest the fugitives. One would think arresting fugitives would be a rather routine part of the Marshals’ business and, indeed, that of law enforcement officers in general.
Hat tip to Jen.
Update: See today’s press release UNITED STATES MARSHALS SERVICE ANNOUNCES OPERATION FALCON.
