History - Fugitive Investigative Strike Teams
(FIST)
Fugitive Investigations - Creative Stings
Operation FIST IV
The fourth Fugitive Investigation
Strike Team focused on fugitives in
the Washington, D.C. area, with the arrest
of 614 major fugitives. The operation,
which was conducted jointly by the
United States Marshals Service and the
District of Columbia Metropolitan
Police Department, utilized a team of 29 officers and employees from the Special
Operations Division of the Metropolitan
Police Department and 30 Deputies and
employees from Fugitive Apprehension
Squads around the country. It was coordinated
by U.S. Marshals Inspectors from the former Enforcement
Operations Division.
The police
officers were deputized as Special Deputy
United States Marshals to enable
them to pursue fugitives outside the
District of Columbia.
This special enforcement project
began undercover investigations in early
September 1982 which concluded 10 weeks
later, successfully clearing 755 outstanding
warrants. Of the fugitives taken into
custody, 50 percent had been sought
for crimes of violence and/or narcotics
violations. An additional 126 subjects
were arrested for burglary or larceny
believed to be narcotic related. The remaining
172 fugitives were apprehended
on a variety of felony warrants for offenses
such as auto theft, embezzlement,
forgery, mail theft and fraud.
Former Attorney General William French
Smith, in a special November 22, 1982 press
conference announcing the conclusion of
FIST IV, praised Marshals Service personnel
and D.C. Police Officers for their
excellent planning and execution of the
detail. He added, 'The outstanding
cooperation and expertise developed and
executed by these two agencies in this
endeavor should be another signal to the
criminal element in this country that the
entire law enforcement community, be it
state, federal or a combination, is indeed
capable and willing to wage and win the
war against violence in our society."
|
