Fugitive Safe Surrender
Phoenix,
Arizona - November 15-18, 2006
Fugitive Safe Surrender in the Phoenix/Maricopa County area took place
on November 15-18, 2006 under the leadership of David Gonzales, United
States Marshal for the District of Arizona. The operation was an
overwhelming success, with more than 1,300 individuals turning
themselves in to law enforcement over the four-day period.
Encouraged by the success of the first Fugitive Safe Surrender operation
in Cleveland, Ohio, Marshal Gonzales worked for almost a year with
community and criminal justice leaders to lay the groundwork for a
successful operation in Phoenix. Bishop Alexis A. Thomas of Pilgrim Rest
Baptist Church agreed to serve as the faith-based leader of Fugitive
Safe Surrender in Phoenix and hosted the surrender days in his church.
Key partners in Phoenix included the United States Marshals Service, the
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office,
Hewlett-Packard, Cox Media, Hughes-Calihan, ValueOptions, and D.C.
Strategic Partners, LLC.
Other key participants included the Honorable James H. Keppel, Presiding
Criminal Judge, and the Honorable Brian K. Ishikawa, Associate Presiding
Criminal Judge of the Superior Court of Arizona (Maricopa County),
senior staff from offices of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County
Attorney Andrew P. Thomas, Clerk of the Superior Court Michael K. Jeanes,
Public Defender James Haas and the Adult Probation Department, and the
Phoenix Police Department.
In all, 386 felony warrants were cleared, as were 114 misdemeanor
warrants. Most of the other individuals who surrendered were wanted on
warrants outside of the local jurisdiction or presented themselves in
the mistaken belief that they were wanted on charges that had been
dismissed or otherwise adjudicated. Several individuals surrendered who
were never wanted at all.
Individuals who surrendered during the Phoenix operation were asked to
complete a voluntary survey, and more than 90% of them did so, thus
providing valuable information for future Fugitive Safe Surrender
operations. The vast majority of those surrendering had heard about the
program through television or print media. Sixty percent of those
surrendering came with a family member, and most of the program
participants indicated that they wanted to surrender so they could
either get a fresh start on life or get a job. Many also indicated that
they were fearful of being arrested and found surrendering to be an
attractive alternative.
In most cities in which Fugitive Safe Surrender will take place, the
Marshals Service hopes to work not only with the religious and
legal/judicial communities, but also with counseling and job placements
services to assist those who seek to turn their lives around.
Participants responding to the survey in Phoenix indicated that job
training, education, substance abuse counseling, parenting skills
training, mental health services, and anger management support were
services that they would find helpful if available to them.
The Marshals Service has enlisted the assistance of Kent State
University to prepare, compile, and analyze the results of the survey
and assist in future Fugitive Safe Surrender operations. |
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Akron, Ohio
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Camden, New Jersey
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Cleveland, Ohio
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Columbia, South Carolina
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Detroit, Michigan
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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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Indianapolis, Indiana
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Memphis, Tennessee
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Nashville, Tennessee
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Phoenix, Arizona
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Rochester, New York
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Washington D.C.
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Wilmington, Delaware
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Future Expansion
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