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Western District
of Michigan – The 49 counties in the Western
District of Michigan are much safer this summer as
local, state and federal law enforcement joined
forces for a fugitive apprehension effort. FALCON,
the acronym for Federal And Local Cops Organized
Nationally, soared into the district in June. By the
time the operation was over, 78 fugitives had been
apprehended and 130 warrants cleared.
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 department and agency dedicated
manpower 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. 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.
Arrests in the
Western District of Michigan targeted fugitives
wanted for crimes of violence. These fugitives
included sex offenders, gang members, narcotics
violators, and parole absconders. Participating
agencies were encouraged to identify wanted persons
within their communities, who were then targeted by
assigned arrest teams within each geographical area.
There were four FALCON arrest teams, consisting of
five officers on each team. The arrest teams were
made up of officers from nine federal, state, and
local law enforcement agencies. Each state and local
officer was sworn as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal
for the operation. This special authority empowers
them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to
track down and arrest targeted fugitives throughout
the operation.
“The goal of
Operation FALCON is simple – to make communities
safer,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S.
Marshals Service. “Each time we wrap up a FALCON
operation in any location, there are less dangerous
individuals – and fewer threats to the community-
than there were when we got there. That is very
gratifying.”
“This type of
operation cannot be done without the full support of
our state and local partners and the level of that
support is evident from the success of this
operation,” said U.S. Marshal Bruce Nordin, Western
District of Michigan. “This operation, along with
our past FALCON efforts, provides a clear indication
of what cooperation on all levels of law
enforcement, federal, state, and local, can
accomplish.”
Officers from the
following departments and agencies participated in
Operation FALCON in West Michigan:
- Grand Rapids
Police Department
- Kent County
Sheriff’s Department
- Walker
Police Department
- Michigan
State Police
- Grandville
Police Department
- Federal
Bureau of Investigation
- Michigan
Department of Corrections
- U.S.
Marshals
- Michigan
Department of Human Services – Office of
Inspector General
For more information on Operation FALCON
2009, please
visit
www.usmarshals.gov/falcon09/index.html.
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