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.

####

America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency