U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Marks 20 Years of Protecting Gulf Coast Communities

Birmingham, AL - Twenty years ago today the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force (GCRFTF) was established under the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000, becoming one of the first regional fugitive task forces in the nation to reach full operational status.

Organized with the backing of Alabama and Mississippi's congressional delegations, the task force was built on a simple mandate: find and arrest the most dangerous fugitives threatening Gulf Coast communities.

Two decades later, that mandate has not changed - only the scale of the work behind it.

Headquartered in Birmingham and operating across the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama and the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the GCRFTF now maintains eight fully operational offices in Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Oxford, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport. The task force brings together more than 75 federal, state, and local law enforcement partner agencies under one unified mission.

"This anniversary belongs to the deputies and task force members who built this task force from the ground up, and to the partner agencies who have stood with us in every district for 20 years," said Chad Hunt, Commander of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force. "I am profoundly grateful to be part of this team and to stand on the shoulders of everyone who built this task force. Twenty years from now I hope the legacy this task force leaves behind won’t be measured by arrests or warrants cleared, but that we were able to make families safer in the communities we serve."

Two Decades by the Numbers

Since its inception, GCRFTF has:

   - Arrested **76,096 fugitives**
   - Cleared **107,825 warrants**
   - Arrested **3,169 gang members**
   - Arrested **6,378 homicide suspects**
   - Arrested **6,698 fugitives** for sex offenses/sex assault
   - Arrested **6,361 fugitives** for failure to register as a sex offender
   - Seized **5,042 firearms/weapons**
   - Seized **1,170.744 kg of narcotics**
   - Seized **164 vehicles**
   - Seized **$3,832,391** in U.S. currency

Warrants cleared by arrest break down across charge type as follows: 24,584 narcotics, 13,694 assault, 12,503 burglary, 10,730 robbery, 8,834 weapons, 7,390 other, 7,281 failure to register, 7,209 homicide, 6,395 sex assault, 3,620 fraud, 2,787 sex offense, 1,330 kidnapping, 993 vehicle theft, 420 arson, and 55 extortion.

In its first six months of operation in 2006, the task force arrested 845 individuals - including subjects wanted for murder, attempted murder, and rape, along with more than 125 convicted sex offenders who had failed to register. Two decades later, that same intensity produced more than 76,000 fugitive arrests across Alabama and Mississippi.

A Legacy of Service

GCRFTF's 20-year history reflects the steady, unglamorous work of fugitive apprehension - locating those charged with violent crimes who do not want to be found. Often, these fugitives are some of the most violent offenders in their communities. These accomplishments have been carried out by generations of task force members and partner agency personnel whose names rarely make headlines, but whose impact is measured in communities made safer, families that are given closure, and dangerous offenders taken off the street.

“In my 24 years as U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Alabama, I’ve been privileged to witness the growth and success of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force,” said U.S. Marshal Martin Keely. “I was there at its inception and have watched with awe and inspiration the group’s diligent efforts to reduce violent crime throughout Alabama and Mississippi.”

Looking Ahead

As GCRFTF enters its next 20 years, the task force's mission remains unchanged: relentless pursuit of the region's most dangerous fugitives, in close partnership with the law enforcement agencies of Alabama and Mississippi.

U.S. Marshals Service task forces combine the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest the nation’s most dangerous fugitives. These task forces are dedicated to reducing violent crime by locating and apprehending wanted criminals. They also serve as the central point for agencies to share information on fugitive matters. In 2025, the U.S. Marshals arrested 73,323 fugitives, cleared 87,984 warrants, which averaged out to around 293 fugitives arrested per day.