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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