10,000 U.S. Fugitives Nailed in Sting!

[30 cal slob]

Wow. About time - wonder how many gun crimes will be thwarted now that we're ENFORCING the darn law now. Unless the judges and parole boards let 'em all go.

Cut and pasted from Communist News Network

-slob

Sources: Dragnet grabs 10,000 fugitives
Operation Falcon nets 162 accused or convicted of murder


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 10,000 fugitives from justice have been captured in a nationwide, weeklong dragnet, law enforcement sources said.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Marshals Service Director Ben Reyna are expected to announce the results of the unprecedented coast-to-coast sweep at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Among the 10,340 people captured between April 4 and April 10 are 162 accused or convicted of murder, 638 wanted for armed robbery, 553 wanted for rape or sexual assault, 154 gang members and 106 unregistered sex offenders.

Some targets were considered especially dangerous. In one case, an armed man was found in a cave under a trap door in his kitchen floor.

Some fugitives had escaped from prisons and jail, some had been released on bond and others had been named in criminal warrants but disappeared or failed to appear as ordered.

"We're really amazed. We had no idea we'd apprehend more than 10,000 bad guys," said one federal law enforcement official who asked not to be identified. "We didn't know what to expect, but the response from law enforcement personnel everywhere was truly amazing."

A comparison with Marshals Service arrests in fiscal 2004 gives an idea of the scope of this month's sweep. For that year, U.S. Marshals caught more than 36,000 federal felons, and Marshals-led task forces also arrested more than 31,600 people wanted on state and local felony warrants, according to the U.S. Marshals Web site.

Some fugitives captured this month were less dangerous, and more old-fashioned than others. In cases described by an official as "the new and the old," the fugitives captured included operators of two methamphetamine labs and an illegal alcohol-producing still.

Fugitives were tracked in every state, plus Puerto Rico and Guam, officials said.

Officials insist the operation was strictly designed to carry out law enforcement objectives but acknowledge the scope of the operation was expected to prompt positive publicity.

In addition, one official said the operation, originally considered for later this spring, was timed in part to coincide with "Crime Victims Rights Week."

"One thing this does is demonstrate support for victims of all these crimes. When these fugitives are captured, it helps bring closure," said the law enforcement source.

The mission was dubbed "Operation FALCON", which officials say is an acronym for "Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally."

"Just about anybody with a badge and a set of handcuffs was asked to help out, and they did," said another official familiar with the operation.

More than 3,000 law enforcement officials searched for fugitives, and as many as 10,000 may have helped at least part-time, officials said. The raids were coordinated by five national fugitive task forces and 83 district task forces led by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Among 25 federal agencies enlisted to help were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service and even Inspector General investigators for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration. HUD's interest was related to fugitives with housing benefits, and some of those on the run received Social Security benefits, sources said.

Much of the law enforcement muscle came from 206 state law enforcement agencies, 302 county sheriffs' departments, and 366 city police departments.



Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/14/fugitive.arrests/index.html

 

[TallPine]

In one case, an armed man was found in a cave under a trap door in his kitchen floor.

I didn't know that Saddam Hussein had escaped again ...

 

[The Freeholder]

Well that explains a couple of local headlines last weekend. I was wondering why US Marshals were making arrests on what sounded like local/state offenses.

The only problem I have with the whole idea is the increasing Federalization of law enforcement activities kind of concerns me...but that's a topic for another post.

Mods, shouldn this thread me moved to Legal/Political?

 

[Waitone]

Just outta curiosity, any word on how many were ilegal aliens ?

 

[Jay Kominek]

The breakdown given totals up to 1,653 people. ...what were the other 8387 people picked up for?

 

[Bear Gulch]

Asking questions!

 

[boing]

From http://www.usdoj.gov/marshals/falcon/facts.html :

# the arrest of 154 documented gang members
# the seizure of 243 weapons
# the seizure of 14 vehicles
# the seizure of $373,000 cash
# the seizure of 30kg cocaine, .19kg heroin, 204kg marijuana, 39kg other drugs, a total of 210 drug seizures
# the arrest of 162 murder suspects
# the arrest of 68 kidnapping suspects
# the arrest of 638 armed robbery suspects
# the arrest of 38 arson suspects
# the arrest of 1727 assault suspects
# the arrest of 1818 burglary suspects
# the arrest of 12 extortion suspects
# the arrest of 4,291 major narcotics violation suspects, including Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force
# the arrest of 483 weapons violation suspects
# the arrest of 553 rape/sexual assault suspects
# the arrest of 106 unregistered sex offenders
# the arrest of 203 stolen vehicle suspects

 

[rock jock]

The only problem I have with the whole idea is the increasing Federalization of law enforcement activities kind of concerns me...but that's a topic for another post.

I think most of the fugitives were charged with state crimes, not federal. My understanding is that the USMS's role came in form of resources and assistance. IMO this is entirely appropriate and an excellent use of our tax dollars.

 

[garyk/nm]

Ahh, rounding up new Demo voters again? If they hurry, they can get them to vote in the upcoming (wishful thinking)WA election do-over.

 

[Talon]

# the arrest of 4,291 major narcotics violation suspects, including Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force

War on Drugs costs just went up. We're now paying to house 4291 more pseudo-criminals.

 

[Vernal45]

Inspector General investigators for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration. HUD's interest was related to fugitives with housing benefits, and some of those on the run received Social Security benefits, sources said.

HMM, these agencies joining the FEDERAL police duties. Warant disks coming to a town near you.

 

[Standing Wolf]

War on Drugs costs just went up. We're now paying to house 4291 more pseudo-criminals.

Well, yeah, sure, but it costs more to keep someone in prison for a year than it would to send a deserving young person to virtually any college in the nation for the same period, so it's worth it. Right? Uh... right?

 

[DMF]

References to HUD, SSA, etc, refer to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) not actually HUD or SSA themselves. SSA-OIG is not the same thing as SSA. The OIGs have not suddenly "joined" fed LE. They've been around a long time, and have specific statutory authority from Congress, to investigate various violations of federal law, just like every other fed LE agency. They investigate crimes which have a nexus to their parent department. For example people fraudulently collecting HUD, SSA, USDA, VA, DOL, etc, benefits. Or EPA-OIG, NASA-OIG, etc, investigating contract fraud.

In addition there are other more "traditional" crimes that some OIGs have a nexus to. For example when gangbangers use food stamps in the drug and illegal gun trade, they are committing crimes for which USDA-OIG has a nexus. When some Meth head commits ID theft by using, your Social Security Number to take out loans, get credit cards, and totally screw up your life by destroying your credit, then SSA-OIG has a nexus to the that crime.

Regardless those agencies exist because Congress created them to enforce federal law.

 

[NukemJim]

the arrest of 4,291 major narcotics violation suspects, including Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force

Note:Bold text added

Does anyone know the legal meaning of the word major when it comes to narcotics violations?

I am not sure sure but aren't Marijuanna (SP?) charges considered narcotics law violations, (Even though medicly it is not a narcotic).

the seizure of 243 weapons

That means that there was one weapon for every 17 major narcotics suspects.

I thought that the reason the AWB was needed was due to the drug dealers having more firepower than the police, pretty sure most LEOs carry at least one gun per LEO.

Just thinking.

NukemJim

 

[DeputyVaughn]

Fluff Story for sheeple consumption. Don't we all feel safer now.

I'll bet 95% of those 10,000 were given a bond and released less than 24 hours after arrest. Our state and federal lockups don't have room for a sudden 10,000 man influx. Most of those bonded out will go right back to what they were doing in the first place and will be wanted again after failing to appear for court at the appointed time.

Scott

 

[RomanKnight]

Makes you wonder...

US Marshals, local police stage nationwide mass arrests

WSWS | Apr 16 2005

In a massive dragnet, US Marshals led more than 90 state, local and other federal police agencies last week in arresting over 10,000 people across the country on outstanding warrants, the Justice Department revealed Thursday.

Code-named Operation Falcon, for Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally, the unprecedented federally-coordinated mass arrests were staged for maximum political and media impact. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales used the operation as the subject of his first news conference since the confirmation of his controversial nomination.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, supplied the television networks government-shot action videotape of Marshals and local cops raiding homes and breaking down doors. The footage was aired on news programs, accompanied by commentary that uncritically parroted the claims made by the department.

The department produced a mind-numbing array of statistics on the raids, resulting in cookie-cutter articles appearing in local papers and on local television throughout the country, highlighting the number of arrests made in each area.

The political purpose of the dragnet was underscored by the fact that law enforcement officials privately acknowledged that most of those arrested in the nationwide raids would have been picked up in any case in the course of normal police work.

The piling up of massive arrest numbers in a brief seven-day period was made possible through an expenditure of $900,000 from the US Marshals Service budget and the use of overtime to quadruple its personnel assigned to pursuing fugitives. Quantity, not quality, was clearly the objective.

While US authorities highlighted the apprehension of 160 murder suspects and 550 sexual assault suspects, it appeared that by far the largest share of those arrested were minor drug offenders. Narcotics violations accounted for fully 4,300 out of the 10,340 arrests.

In several areas of the country, authorities reported that the raids filled local jails to overflowing.

“We generally try to focus our resources on the baddest of the bad. We’re going after murderers, rapists, that kind of thing,†Deputy US Marshal Ricardo Guzman told the Washington Post. “On the average day, we can’t do every carjacker or person wanted on failure to pay child support.â€

But last week, the government changed these priorities. “We decided to get as many as we can,†he said. “We put everybody on the street with a stack of warrants and said, ‘Start knocking on doors.’â€

Justice Department officials sought to link the mass arrests in the public mind to the “war on terrorism,†though none of those picked up are accused of terrorist acts. As one news report on the Washington press conference announcing the operation put it: “...officials said the exercise was an opportunity to show the benefits of cooperative law enforcement in an age of terrorism.â€

Attorney General Gonzales told reporters, “Operation FALCON is an excellent example of President Bush’s direction and the Justice Department’s dedication to deal both with the terrorist threat and traditional violent crime.†He added, “This joint effort shows the commitment of our federal, state, and local partners to make our neighborhoods safer, and it has led to the highest number of arrests ever recorded for a single initiative of its kind.â€

Ben Reyna, Director of the US Marshals Service, echoed Gonzales, declaring that the operation “produced the largest number of arrests ever recorded during a single initiative.â€

Sections of the press have cynically attributed the operation to a bid by the US Marshals Service to wrest more money from Congress during Congress’ ongoing budget deliberations. Yet, the high-profile role played by Gonzales in the announcement and the repeated invocation of terrorism suggest other, more ominous, motives.

The announcement comes barely one week after Gonzales went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to urge renewal of sections of the USA Patriot Act that are set to expire at the end of this year. In his press conference announcing the mass arrests, Gonzales made a point of stressing the need for legislative action to permanently sanction the “information sharing†and coordination of police agencies at all levels of government which, he claimed, made the operation possible. This was a thinly veiled rebuke to a number of congressmen and senators who have called for revisions in certain provisions of the Patriot Act.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the act was rammed through Congress without debate or any serious examination of its provisions. It granted unprecedented police powers to the federal government, vastly expanding its powers to spy on US citizens through warrantless searches, wiretaps and seizure of business, medical and even library records. The use of secret courts and secret evidence has been seen in a number of cases, including the FBI’s absolutely baseless and abortive frame-up of Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield in connection with the Madrid train bombings.

Gonzales, who as President Bush’s White House counsel made the case for riding roughshod over the Geneva Conventions and allowing the torture of US-held detainees, is anxious to preserve the extraordinary and unconstitutional powers of search and seizure that the administration has arrogated to itself over the past three-and-a-half years.

Moreover, the police dragnet and congressional consideration of the Patriot Act have both unfolded in the context of a generalized assault on the US constitutional system of checks and balances and a drive to assert unprecedented power for the executive branch. In the final analysis, the organization of nationwide mass arrests is a raw exercise of this power.

Not surprisingly, not a single prominent Democrat has raised any question about the real purpose of the coordinated raids.

The media and local police officials throughout the country have repeated the claims of the Justice Department and the US Marshals Service that the recent arrests are the greatest number ever in a single operation. In point of fact, the numbers are roughly equivalent to those achieved by one of Gonzales’s predecessors, Alexander Mitchell Palmer, who headed the Justice Department 85 years ago.

The infamous Palmer Raids, named after the then-attorney general, were launched on November 7, 1919, the second anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Further mass arrests were carried out in December and January. In one of them, FBI agents led local police and vigilantes in simultaneous raids in 70 cities, rounding up 4,000 people in a single night.

They smashed down the doors of union halls and offices of communist, socialist and anarchist organizations and dragged people from their beds without warrants or criminal charges. Foreign-born workers bore the brunt of the assault, as the government sought to blame a wave of mass strikes and radical protests on “alien sedition.†Several hundred foreign-born activists and workers were deported without the benefit of a hearing. Many more of those detained were subjected to brutal beatings.

The target of the arrests in Operation Falcon was not political opponents of the government, but rather people who missed court dates, violated parole and, at least in some fraction of the cases, are wanted for criminal acts of violence.

But the way in which these raids—portrayed as serving crime victims and making communities safer—are being used to bolster so-called “anti-terrorist†policies that are a major step toward a police state must serve as a serious warning.

This is an administration that has asserted the right of the US president to declare anyone—citizen and non-citizen alike—an “enemy combatant,†and lock him up indefinitely without charges, without the right to a public hearing or lawyer, and without even an official acknowledgement that the person has been thrown into prison.

Under these conditions, the question is posed: was Operation Falcon a dry run for a plan to be executed in the face of intensified political crisis or a resurgence of mass opposition to the government? Was this extraordinary federal, state and local coordination of mass arrests a dress rehearsal for a modern-day version of the Palmer Raids?

 

[Vernal45]

Fluff Story for sheeple consumption. Don't we all feel safer now. I'll bet 95% of those 10,000 were given a bond and released less than 24 hours after arrest. Our state and federal lockups don't have room for a sudden 10,000 man influx. Most of those bonded out will go right back to what they were doing in the first place and will be wanted again after failing to appear for court at the appointed time.

100% correct.

 

[Libertyteeth]

Good article, RomanKnight. Do you have a link for it? Thanks.

 

[ajkurp]

So the fedclowns have been saving up and keeping track of 10,000 'criminals' for ..um.. let's see... how many months... just to have a big headline to impress the sheep? The story stinks of so much Bravo Sierra.

And to answer a previous question on what constitutes "major" drug crime, I suspect major is to drug as arsenal is to gun.

 

[gezzer]

WoW! Do you think a few crimes committed by these guys may have been stopped if the arrested them when they first found out where they were?

Is it budget time for the US Marshalls? :banghead: