New Orleans, LA – The Eastern District of Louisiana is much safer this week as local, state and federal law enforcement joined forces for a month long fugitive apprehension effort. FALCON, the acronym for Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally, soared into the district June 1. By the time the operation was over June 30, the Eastern District of Louisiana Marshals Task Force had arrested 264 fugitives and cleared 376 warrants.

Operation FALCON 2009, the sixth in the series of U.S. Marshals Service-led fugitive apprehension initiatives, partnered Deputy U.S. marshals with local police, sheriffs, state troopers and other federal agencies, each dedicating man power and resources to the goal of removing as many violent offenders from our streets and communities as possible while clearing backlogged warrants from law enforcement’s files.

The successful partnership has been bad news for criminals for the past five years as law enforcement joined together with community safety and crime reduction as a common goal, capturing more than 91,000 fugitives during the past five years. Nationally this year’s operation resulted in the arrest of 35,190 fugitives, the seizure 582 firearm and 2,232 kilograms of illegal narcotics, along with more than 47,400 warrants cleared.

Arrests in the Eastern District of Louisiana targeted fugitives wanted for crimes of violence, sex offenders, gang members and narcotics violations. Participating agencies were encouraged to identify wanted persons within their communities, who were then targeted by assigned arrest teams within each geographical area.

A film crew accompanied local FALCON teams for one week of the operation as part of a documentary that will be aired in the fall on the Discovery Channel. New Orleans was one of three locations, along with Miami and Washington, the Discovery Channel chose to highlight for the documentary.

As part of Operation FALCON, task force officers and USMS Sex Offender Investigators joined the U.S. Secret Service in an “Internet-Based Sexual Predator Decoy Operation” that resulted in the arrests of four suspects and the issuing of one warrant. The charges involved persons alleged to have attempted sexual solicitation of minors via the Internet. In total, the operation cleared more than 80 sex offender-related warrants in the New Orleans metro area.

Acting U.S. Marshal Steven Hartman said, “This was the largest and most successful fugitive operation ever undertaken in this district. The unparalleled success is directly attributable to the professionalism, diligence, and commitment to law enforcement displayed by all involved. The Marshals Service in New Orleans is fortunate to work side-by-side with many of the finest law enforcement agencies and support groups in the nation.”

Since its inception in 2005, Operation Falcon has made 91,086 arrests and cleared 117,874 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.

“Operation FALCON has ended; however, the U.S. Marshals’ efforts will continue to help make the New Orleans metro area safer for our citizens,” Hartman said. “Much of our success comes from the support of Crimestoppers, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, local media outlets, and most importantly our citizens, whom we encourage to assist our ongoing efforts to apprehend wanted fugitives.”

Agencies involved in the E/LA Operation FALCON included: the New Orleans Police Department, Kenner Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Probation and Parole, Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Border Patrol, Social Security-OIG, Department of Housing and Urban Development OIG, and the U.S. Marshals Service Sex Offender Investigations Branch. Crimestoppers of New Orleans, Crimestoppers of Tangipahoa, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission also had substantial participation in the operation.
Highlights of the operation include:

For more information on Operation FALCON 2009, please visit www.usmarshals.gov/falcon09/index.html.

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