Anchorage, AK – The U.S. Marshals, in coordination with 25 other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies conducted a six day enforcement operation from June 23 to June 28. Operation FALCON, standing for Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally, targeted violent felons, gang members, and sex offenders. FALCON 2008 captured 69 fugitives and cleared 83 warrants in Alaska for crimes including failures to register as a sex offender, distribution of child pornography, drug offenses, assault, burglary, robbery and theft. These arrests also included probation violations stemming from sexual abuse of minors, weapon offenses, and failures to appear for various original charges.

Prosecution efforts from the U.S. Attorneys and District Attorneys offices across the state made FALCON a huge success. Apprehension efforts took place in Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, Talkeetna, Tyonek, Fairbanks, North Pole, Delta Junction, Ester, Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Nikiski, Clam Gulch, Juneau and Ketchikan.

Operation FALCON 2008 pooled the unique resources of the U.S. Marshals, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Federal Probation, Federal Air Marshals, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Railroad, Alaska Department of Corrections Probation, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks Airport Police and Police Departments from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, Soldotna, Wasilla, Palmer, North Pole, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

“While the Marshals are often the public face of Operation FALCON, we have been extremely fortunate that all of our federal, state and local partners continue to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically come together to make this work,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. “With their exceptional assistance, Operation FALCON continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.” Since Operation FALCON’s inception in 2005, it has netted over 36,500 arrests and cleared over 45,300 warrants (not including 2008 statistics).

Media can obtain additional information regarding Operation FALCON at http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon08/
 

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