The week of August 6th, 2012 the United States Marshals Service, in
collaboration with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, the Southeast Regional
Fugitive Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation COPS grant funded
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Georgia Department of
Corrections, Jesup Probation Office, and the Georgia State Parole conducted
compliance checks of all registered sex offenders in Wayne County. Over thirty
Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Officers were involved.
Operation “SWARM” was a two pronged effort of compliance and enforcement. The
focus of the compliance operation was a comprehensive physical verification of
every offender, their residences, their employment and compliance with their
registration requirements.
This joint operation resulted in the successful location and verification of
fifty sex offenders. Of the fifty offenders that were verified, one was also on
state parole and twenty five were on state probation. This operation was a
continuation of the remarkable cooperation between the Wayne County Sheriff’s
Office, The Georgia Department of Corrections Probation Office and the Georgia
State Parole Office. These offices routinely coordinate their efforts when
keeping track of registered sex offenders in the Wayne County area. The addition
of the other participating agencies allowed for the verifications to be
conducted safely in a concentrated time period. Operation SWARM was the second
of these collaborative efforts in Wayne County. Operation DON’T TRUST, VERIFY
took place last year with similar results.
During the course of Operation “SWARM” ten subjects were arrested. Of these
arrests, one person was arrested for violation of the sex offender registration
law and possession of two firearms by a convicted felon. Eight were arrested for
violation of their sex offender registration requirements. One subject was
arrested for reckless driving and fleeing and attempting to elude. The arrest
resulted from the subject nearly striking officers cars as they arrived to
conduct a verification check. The subject then fled the area only to be stopped
and arrested a short distance down the road.
The combined efforts of these dedicated law enforcement professionals were
instrumental in the successful execution of Operation “SWARM.” This initiative
is the second of many operations planned for the future. These operations are
conducted in an effort to protect and safeguard our community and most
especially the safety of our children.
Additional information about the
U.S. Marshals Service can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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