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Mobile, AL – Four southern Alabama counties were
the focus of this year’s Operation FALCON. FALCON,
the acronym for Federal And Local Cops Organized
Nationally, was conducted in the Southern District
of Alabama by 89 law enforcement officers from 26
local, state, and federal agencies. Targeted
fugitives were wanted for crimes of violence, sex
offenders, gang members and narcotics violations.
The effort cleared 120 felony warrants.
The
successful partnership has equated to hard times for
criminals for the past four years as law enforcement
joined together, capturing over 36,500 fugitives
nationally. This partnership is in large part
attributed to the support and cooperation of our
U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S.
Marshal William S. Taylor of the Southern District
of Alabama stated, “FALCON is a great opportunity
for all affected jurisdictions to contribute toward
clearing backlogged arrest warrants. The
contribution of personnel and resources to Operation
FALCON by our law enforcement partners has been
tremendous. This year the combined effort cleared
more warrants than ever in Southern Alabama. We
continue to improve on that goal with every
operation.”
During
the three weeks leading up to FALCON the U.S.
Marshals Service, Southern District of Alabama,
supported by the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task
Force, obtained felony arrest warrants on 398
fugitives. Most of those warrants were from Mobile,
Baldwin, Clarke, and Dallas counties. More than 400
hours were spent researching and analyzing these
warrants to determine the best possible addresses
the fugitives might be found. During this process,
45 fugitives (11%) were found to be in custody by
other agencies on charges not related to FALCON
warrants. Agencies holding the FALCON warrants were
notified so they could file detainers and begin the
extradition process. Five other fugitives were
discovered to be deceased.
In the
early hours of June 23 six teams of special deputy
U.S. marshals started knocking on doors in hopes of
apprehending the remaining 348 fugitives. Many of
these fugitives hid in attics, closets, and back
porches; they ran on foot and dove through pane
glass windows to avoid capture. Two fugitives
injured themselves trying to flee, but were
captured. There were no officer injuries, no vehicle
pursuits, and no use of force incidents.
Over the
course of the week FALCON teams physically arrested
70 fugitives. Fifty-nine of those warrants, or 84%,
were for failure to appear, or for violating terms
of probation, where the original conviction or
charge was for an array of violent crimes.
“This
high number of contempt related warrants is great
justification for having a FALCON operation and a
permanent fugitive task force in southern Alabama.
Otherwise, many of these fugitives would remain free
on the street to continue their life of crime
without facing their legal obligations,” said
Marshal Taylor.
Forty-six percent of the warrants cleared were drug
related. Most of the fugitives that were not
arrested last week are still being pursued by the
Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.
“These
fugitives should know that these arrest warrants
have no expiration. Their best option is still self
surrender,” said Marshal Taylor.
In
addition to clearing 120 warrants, the one week
operation netted two handguns, a methamphetamine
lab, a small quantity of marijuana and drug
paraphernalia, and an escapee from Alabama
Department of Corrections. Investigations of
collateral crimes are being investigated by the
appropriate agencies.
Deputy
U.S. Marshal Dwayne Guida coordinated FALCON 2008.
“Coordinating such an operation is immense. Looking
back now I can say it was a privilege to work with
so many dedicated law enforcement professionals. It
is their dedication to duty which made this
Operation FALCON a success” said Guida.
“We are
pleased that local law enforcement often looks upon
operations such as FALCON as an opportunity to
address fugitive apprehension issues in their
communities,” said John F. Clark, Director of the
U.S. Marshals Service. “In the end, when this
operation is over, our local partners are the people
who will continue to live and work in the
communities that Operation FALCON serves. We are
committed to leaving behind a safer community for
all of them.”
The
success of the FALCON operations has proven to be
the largest and most successful fugitive
apprehension efforts in the history of the U.S.
Marshals. When law enforcement agencies combine
their resources, the greater good of society always
comes out on top.
FALCON 2008 Participating Agencies:
Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole
Alabama ABC Board
Mobile County Sheriff's Office
Baldwin County Sheriff's Office
Dallas County Sheriff’s Office
Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Marengo County Sheriff's Office
Wilcox County Sheriff's Office
1st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force
4th Judicial District Attorneys Office
4th Judicial District Drug Task Force
Mobile Police Department
Fairhope Police Department
Foley Police Department
Orange Beach Police Department
Beatrice Police Department
Selma Police Department
Spanish Fort Police Department
Demopolis Police Department
Grove Hill Police Department
FBI - Selma
FBI - Mobile
US Coast Guard Investigative Service
ATF - Mobile
U.S. Secret Service – Mobile
U.S. Marshals Service – S/AL and GCRFTF (Gulf
Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force)
For more
information about Operation FALCON, visit
http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon08/media.htm.
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