Fugitive Safe Surrender in the District of Columbia took place in early November 2007, under the coordinated leadership of Steve Conboy, United States Marshal for the District of Columbia Superior Court, and Paul Quander, Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency of the District of Columbia (CSOSA). The three-day operation resulted in the arrest of 530 individuals, bringing the total number of surrenders during the Marshals Service’s seven Fugitive Safe Surrender programs to almost 6,500.

Apostle James Silver of the Bible Way Church in Washington, D.C., agreed to serve as the faith-based leader of Fugitive Safe Surrender – DC and to host the surrender days at his church. Apostle Silver recruited volunteers from his church and the community at large to assist with FSS functions during the three-day surrender period.

Fugitive Safe Surrender - DC would not have been possible without the partnership and full participation of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Public Defender Service, the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency, the U.S. Parole Commission, the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, and the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department.

Preliminary results of Fugitive Safe Surrender - DC indicated that of the 530 individuals who surrendered, 53 of them were wanted for felony crimes. Fewer than three percent of those presenting themselves were arrested and 64 individuals who arrived at the church found that they had no active warrant at all.

The first to surrender was Willie Jones, who was wanted on a warrant for distribution of heroin. Like many of the participants in Fugitive Safe Surrender nationwide, Mr. Jones was tired of looking over his shoulder, and frustrated with his inability to find work or drive a car without worry of arrest. After going through the process, he emerged from the church 40 minutes later with a personal bond and his warrant dismissed. Mr. Jones spoke highly of the program and the second chance it provided him. He also encouraged others to take the step. “It’s a very good program; trust it and walk on in,” he said. Marshal Conboy commended Mr. Jones and the hundreds like him who participated in the program, noting that “this is the way to extend the olive branch to foster trust in the community, and ask folks to do the right thing. It doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be dangerous.”