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Charleston, W.V. – Each day in the month of June,
teams of law enforcement officers participated in
warrant sweeps throughout the southern counties of
West Virginia, as well as the rest of the nation,
executing outstanding warrants. Following a
five-year tradition of success in its national
efforts, the United States Marshals Service locally
conducted another successful Operation FALCON – Federal
and Local Cops Organized
Nationally.
Led by
the U.S. Marshals, Operation FALCON 2009 netted 477
arrests within the Southern District of West
Virginia during the entire month of June and cleared
739 warrants. The Southern District of West
Virginia’s Operation FALCON combined the collective
efforts of more than 60 law enforcement agencies in
one of the area’s largest-ever fugitive initiatives,
focusing on capturing individuals wanted on felony
charges including sexual predators and fugitives
wanted for crimes of violence. Over the course of
the month-long operation, Deputy U.S. Marshals,
teamed with federal, state and local law enforcement
partners, in a cooperative effort serving warrants
in all 23 counties representing the Southern
District of West Virginia.
“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 before we arrived there. That is
very gratifying.”
“The
cooperation and enthusiasm of law enforcement
agencies in the Southern District of Virginia during
this operation is unprecedented. Our goal as law
enforcement officers is to grow in uniformity and to
tighten the net on fugitives,” said Acting U.S.
Marshal Timothy J. Goode. “We are facing new
challenges in law enforcement and must always adapt
to overcome sometimes overwhelming odds when faced
with the criminal element that places our
communities in danger. We have found that the best
way we can to succeed in this war on crime is to
join forces.
“With
our law enforcement partners, law enforcement at all
levels is dedicated to a safer West Virginia, nation
and world and it shows in this tremendous success.
The combined efforts of all the participating
agencies and personnel allowed for essential sharing
of information, technology and experience cultivated
by the collective group.”
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. Locally, the Marshals Service and its
fugitive apprehension partners have participated in
Operation FALCON for the last four years. During
those four years, over 1,300 warrants have been
closed as a direct result of law enforcement’s
cooperative efforts.
Additional information on the Unites States Marshals
Service Operation FALCON 2009 can be found at
http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon09/index.html
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