Fugitive Safe Surrender
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Akron, Ohio
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Camden, New Jersey
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Cleveland, Ohio
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Columbia, South Carolina
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Detroit, Michigan
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Indianapolis, Indiana
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Memphis, Tennessee
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Nashville, Tennessee
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Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
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Phoenix,
Arizona
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Rochester, New York
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Washington D.C.
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Future Expansion
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20080923040631im_/http://www.usmarshals.gov/district/pa-e/images/line.gif) |
Cleveland, Ohio – August
3-6, 2005
The
Fugitive Safe
Surrender was the idea of Peter J. Elliott, United States Marshal for
the
Northern District of Ohio, whose motivation for creating the program
stemmed from the murder of Cleveland police officer Wayne Leon by a
fugitive six years ago. A career law enforcement officer, Marshal
Elliott realized that desperate people commit desperate acts, sometimes
with tragic consequences. He believed that many non-violent fugitives
wanted for low-level felonies desired a second chance at life but were
fearful of turning themselves in to police officers, sheriff’s deputies,
or the Marshals Service. Seeking a creative alternative, the Marshal
believed that temporarily transforming a church into a courthouse so
fugitives could turn themselves in, in an atmosphere where they feel
comfortable would encourage fugitives to surrender making it safer for
the community reducing the risk to law enforcement officers who pursue
fugitives, to the neighborhoods in which they hide, and to the fugitives
themselves.
Marshal Elliott brought the
Fugitive Safe Surrender concept to Douglas Weiner of DC Strategic Partners and a
coalition was built of local criminal justice authorities, the
Cleveland’s
religious community, and other civic leaders to launch the first Fugitive Safe
Surrender program in August 2005.
The partnership included the Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney, the Cuyahoga
Sheriff’s Office, the Cuyahoga County Court Presiding Judge and Public
Defender’s Office, the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry's Community Re-Entry, the
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, the Ohio Attorney General, the
Cleveland Municipal Court Presiding Judge, the Cleveland Police Department, the
Cuyahoga Regional Information System; Clear Channel Radio, WKYC-TV Channel 3
(NBC), Radio One, and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown - founder of the Amer-I-Can
Foundation.
Over the next year, surrender guidelines were established, a detailed project
workflow was developed, an IS/IT infrastructure was constructed in the church, a
security plan was designed, mobile LEADS and AFIS technology were secured,
community volunteers were recruited and trained, and a media/grass roots
campaign was created.
On Wednesday, August 3, 2005,
Mount Sinai Baptist Church opened its doors for fugitives to surrender under the
leadership of Reverend C. Jay Matthews. Over the next four days, 850 persons
turned themselves in for a wide range of criminal violations. In total, 340
felony cases were processed including individuals wanted for rape, felonious
assault, burglary, and high-level drug offenses, resulting in six peaceful
arrests – more than 13 times the number who were arrested in the three-day sweep
conducted soon after the surrender period ended.
As a result of this
successful effort, Marshals Service Director John F. Clark adopted the Fugitive
Safe Surrender concept as a national program. |