Scranton, PA – Following a four-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service conducted another successful Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 8 – 14. Led by the U.S. Marshals Service, Operation FALCON 2008 targeted fugitives throughout the 33 counties that comprise the Middle District of Pennsylvania. By combining the resources of federal, state, county and city law enforcement agencies, this fugitive apprehension initiative successfully located and apprehended individuals wanted on charges including violent crimes, sex offenses, narcotics violations, weapons offenses, and other felonies.

This was the largest-ever Operation FALCON initiative in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Over the course of this seven-day operation, Deputy U.S. Marshals teamed up with their law enforcement partners to achieve tremendous results – 181 fugitives were arrested, and 228 warrants were cleared. During the operation, two firearms were seized, as well as six ounces of marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Arrest teams also seized $4,685 in cash.

Over 40 fugitives were arrested for their failure to appear in court for prosecution or sentencing. A significant number of these arrestees had underlying charges of robbery, aggravated assault, distribution of narcotics, burglary, and sex offenses.

On June 8, Joanne Francis was taken into custody in Scranton. She was wanted on a forgery warrant that was issued in early April. A Marshals-led arrest team located Francis at a residence in the 1000 block of Blair Avenue, where she was found hiding in a cut-out portion of a box spring under a mattress.

On June 12, arrest teams attempted to locate a wanted subject at a residence in Harrisburg. The fugitive was not found. However, a firearm was observed in plain view, and an unidentified subject fled out through a window and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. When finally found hiding inside a closet, Jerome Buckner was detained. It was determined that he was wanted in Dauphin County on more than a dozen misdemeanor warrants. The firearm, a 9mm semi-automatic, had been stolen from a residence in Susquehanna Township in the summer of 2003. Buckner had a prior felony conviction. This will result in him being charged as a felon in possession of a firearm.

“Operation FALCON 2008 is a clear indication of the remarkable success when the U.S. Marshals Service combines its resources with our state and local law enforcement counterparts,” said United States Marshal Michael R. Regan. “This seven-day operation continues to display that law enforcement officers from all levels can work effectively as a collective team in getting some of the ‘worst of the worst’ off our streets.”

“The goal of Operation FALCON 2008 is simple – to make communities safer,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. “Each time we wrap up a FALCON operation, there are less dangerous individuals – and fewer threats to the community – than there were when we got there. This is very gratifying. In the end, our local partners are the people who will continue to live and work in the communities that Operation FALCON 2008 serves. We are committed to leaving behind a safer environment for all of them.”

During the seven days of this Operation FALCON, 128 law enforcement officers teamed up to investigate, locate, and arrest fugitives. This equated to an average of 53 officers per day working on the streets. Thirty-one law enforcement agencies participated in this operation. This included the U.S. Marshals Service, Scranton Police Department, Lackawanna County Sheriffs Office, Luzerne County Sheriffs Office, Berwick Police Department, Lycoming County Sheriffs Office, Union County Sheriffs, Penn College of Technology Police Department, Lycoming County Adult Probation Office, Northumberland County Adult Probation Office, Dauphin County Adult Probation Office, Dauphin County Criminal Investigation Division, Camp Hill Borough Police Department, Carlisle Police Department, East Pennsboro Township Police Department, Steelton Police Department, Swatara Township Police Department, Cumberland County Sheriffs Office, York County Sheriffs Office, York County District Attorneys Office, York City Police Department, West York Borough Police Department, West Manchester Township Police Department, Hanover Police Department, Northern York County Regional Police Department, Springettsbury Township Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, and Department of Heath and Human Services – Office of Inspector General.

Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made over 36,500 arrests and cleared more than 45,300 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service.

Information on Operation FALCON can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon08/media.htm
 

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