Fact Sheets  

The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for conducting fugitive investigations and has a critical role in implementing the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy.

While targeting violent and other serious offenders, the agency plays a key role in making communities safer. The U.S. Marshals Service has expanded its fugitive apprehension operations to state and local jurisdictions through highly specialized, multi-agency fugitive task forces covering nearly the entire country. The U.S. Marshals Service builds vital ties within the international law enforcement community to apprehend fugitives abroad as well as to seek foreign fugitives living or residing in the United States.

The agency is the custodian of all federal arrest warrants until execution or dismissal.

In FY 2009, Deputy U.S. Marshals and their task force partners apprehended more than 36,400 federal fugitives and cleared more than 39,300 federal felony warrants.

Working with authorities at the federal, state and local levels, U.S. Marshals-led fugitive task forces arrested an additional 90,806 state and local fugitives, clearing 116,944 state and local felony warrants.

The force multiplier strategy of the Marshals Service’s task force network is unmatched and its impact on violent crime resonates across the country, as more than 118,200 violent fugitives were arrested by the U.S. Marshals and its law enforcement partners during FY 2009.

Domestic Investigations

15 Most Wanted Fugitive Program

The U.S. Marshals established the 15 Most Wanted Fugitive Program in 1983 to prioritize the investigation and apprehension of some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These felons tend to be career criminals with histories of violence, and they pose a significant threat to public safety.

Current and past 15 Most Wanted fugitives have included murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures, and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. They are generally considered the “worst of the worst.”

Fugitive cases may be drawn from U.S. Marshals’ primary jurisdiction cases, cases sent to a fugitive task force by another federal agency, state/local cases that have been adopted by USMS task forces or cases referred to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Since the program began, 204 of the 15 Most Wanted fugitives have been arrested. In FY 2009, the U.S. Marshals apprehended five of them.

Major Case Fugitive Program

To supplement the 15 Most Wanted Fugitive Program, the Major Case Fugitive Program was established in 1985. Individuals are designated as major case fugitives because of the type of criminal activity in which they are engaged or their level of violence. Major cases garner a stronger focus within the agency and receive more resources than do regular cases.

District Fugitive Task Forces

The U.S. Marshals Service has a distinguished history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. The U.S. Marshals currently lead 75 full-time district fugitive task forces across the country, which provide the backbone of the U.S. Marshals’ fugitive apprehension efforts. In addition, the agency leads ad-hoc fugitive task forces that operate in response to a targeted group of fugitives or a specific case — such as when an inmate escapes from prison.

Combining the resources of the Marshals Service’s 94 district offices with a variety of law enforcement partners, these task forces provide an extremely effective network of experienced criminal investigators dedicated to catching violent fugitives. The success of the district task forces, which began approximately 30 years ago, paved the way for Congress to fund seven regional fugitive task forces.

Regional Fugitive Task Forces

The Marshals Service’s ability to target violent offenders through its existing district-based task force framework was enhanced by the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000, which established permanent fugitive apprehension task forces. The task forces consist of federal, state and local law enforcement authorities in designated regions of the United States and are directed and coordinated by the U.S. Marshals.

Distinguishable from district-based task forces as a result of the dedication of both resources and full-time personnel, these regional fugitive task forces combine the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest the most dangerous fugitives and serve as the focal point for information sharing concerning fugitive matters.

The U.S. Marshals currently operate seven RFTFs — New York/New Jersey, Pacific Southwest, Great Lakes, Southeast, Capital Area, Gulf Coast and Florida. These task forces have significantly enhanced the fugitive apprehension program.

RFTFs closed more than 51,000 felony warrants by arrest, including 1,901 homicide warrants in FY 2009.

Domestic Investigations Branch

The Domestic Investigations Branch of the Investigative Operations Division develops, manages and oversees programs related to domestic fugitive investigations.

One such program is the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force that identifies, investigates and prosecutes high-level money laundering and narcotics organizations. Another program is HIDTA — High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas — aimed at reducing drug-related crimes and violence in designated locations.

The agency also participates in Project Safe Neighborhoods and takes part in Violent Crime Impact Teams — companion initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence.

Along with numerous formal agreements to pursue other agencies’ fugitives, Marshals work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to locate and arrest fugitives wanted for crimes against children.

They also combat gang violence by prioritizing investigations of violent fugitives with ties to gangs. Additionally, the agency participates in the Gang Resistance Education and Training program, a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curriculum. The G.R.E.A.T. program’s primary objective is prevention and is intended as an immunization against delinquency, youth violence and gang membership.

In support of the agency’s fugitive mission, the Domestic Investigations Branch also develops new programs such as the Financial Surveillance Unit that tracks fugitives through financial means.

Fugitive Safe Surrender

Fugitive Safe Surrender is a unique and highly successful initiative that encourages persons wanted for non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes to voluntarily surrender to the law in a faith-based or other neutral setting. Managed by the agency as a community re-entry program for wanted nonviolent offenders, Fugitive Safe Surrender offers individuals with felony or misdemeanor warrants the ability to turn themselves in to law enforcement and have their cases adjudicated in a safe and non-threatening environment. More than 25,000 individuals with open warrants have turned themselves in during 17 FSS operations.

International Investigations Branch

The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for tracking fugitives who flee the United States’ territorial boundaries. The agency has also been designated by the DOJ to locate and apprehend fugitives wanted by foreign nations and believed to be in the United States. The agency has the statutory responsibility to extradite international and foreign fugitives after they are captured.

In FY 2009, the U.S. Marshals successfully completed a record 874 extraditions/deportations from 65 countries. The U.S. Marshals Service operates foreign field offices in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic and coordinates law enforcement liaison programs along the borders of Mexico and Canada.

In support of international fugitive investigations, USMS personnel currently serve in management positions with Interpol’s U.S. National Central Bureau in Washington, D.C. A Chief Inspector also serves as a liaison at the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs and at the El Paso Intelligence Center in Texas.

To further extend its investigative reach to foreign locations, the U.S. Marshals Service provides special deputations to more than 400 regional security officers with the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. These officers serve at embassies and consulates around the world. To facilitate worldwide coordination, the Department of State has assigned an agent from the DSS to the U.S. Marshals’ International Investigations Branch.

Sex Offender Investigations Branch

The U.S. Marshals Service was tasked with important new responsibilities in 2006 under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. This legislation designated the U.S. Marshals as the lead federal agency tasked with locating fugitive sex offenders who fail to register or do not comply with their state’s registry requirements.

To support its new role, IOD created the Sex Offender Investigations Branch to manage its Sex Offender Apprehension Program. Since SOIB’s inception, it has developed an implementation strategy, assisted DOJ with legal guidance, assigned personnel to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and trained and designated Sex Offender Investigations Coordinators nationwide.

The SOIB has also established the National Sex Offender Targeting Center, which began operations in September 2009. The center serves as an interagency intelligence and operation center supporting the identification, investigation, location, apprehension, and prosecution of non-compliant, unregistered fugitive sex offenders.

In FY 2009, the U.S. Marshals apprehended 10,019 sex offenders, including 3,683 persons who failed to register or were noncompliant.

Additionally, 1,545 cases were initiated for investigation of Walsh Act violations, resulting in the issuance of 320 warrants and 278 arrests.

Criminal Intelligence Branch

The Criminal Intelligence Branch provides tactical and strategic intelligence in support of criminal investigations, manages data sharing projects with other agencies, provides oversight of law enforcement and commercial information systems and tools used for investigations, and administers the Justice Detainee Information System – the agency’s central law enforcement information system. CIB intelligence research analysts are specially trained and equipped to conduct advanced research and to perform various analyses to produce investigative leads in tactical mode, while producing recommendations for action in strategic mode. CIB promotes “intelligence led policing” which is defined by the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan as the collection and analysis of information to produce an intelligence end product designed to inform law enforcement decision making at both the tactical and strategic levels. CIB has staff positioned at headquarters, as well as assigned to the Regional Fugitive Task Forces, the National Gang Intelligence Center, the National Sex Offender Targeting Center and at other multi-agency fusion or intelligence centers.

Technical Operations Group

Electronic Surveillance Branch

The Electronic Surveillance Branch provides covert investigative and intelligence support for the U.S. Marshals’ major cases and 15 Most Wanted fugitive investigations. In addition, ESB provides assistance when requested by other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to solve complex criminal investigations or violent crimes.

ESB achieves a very successful case clearance rate by deploying some of the most sophisticated technologies available. ESB members help prepare court orders, serve as expert witnesses in the field of electronic surveillance and train law enforcement personnel from the United States and the international law enforcement community in the use of electronic surveillance. ESB maintains a central monitoring facility and electronic surveillance operation centers, with field offices throughout the United States.

Air Surveillance Branch

The Air Surveillance Branch provides aerial surveillance, electronic tracking and other aerial platform functions in support of operations. TOG aircraft provide vital intelligence during the investigation, arrest and prosecution of some of the country’s most dangerous fugitives.

Tactical Support Branch

The Tactical Support Branch provides support to districts, task forces, fugitive investigations, prisoner operations, special operations and judicial security/witness security details. It also provides force protection measures during missions — covert audio, video, alarms and sensors, as well as other techniques and applications necessary to protect personnel and protectees. The Tactical Support Branch includes the Operational Wireless Communications Support Group that provides digital, narrowband, encrypted wireless communications in support of U.S. Marshals’ operations. OWCS maintains a cache of radio and satellite communications equipment — tactical repeaters, base stations, portable tower trailers and other specialized gear. The Tactical Support Branch also has personnel trained to conduct technical surveillance countermeasures that protect government property and sensitive information, as well as identify technical surveillance devices and hazards.

Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Marshals Service Pub. No. 21-C
revised Dec. 30, 2009