Thread: low-key roundup nets 312 Valley fugitives

ow-key roundup nets 312 Valley fugitives
43 commentsby JJ Hensley - Jul. 7, 2008 12:38 PM
The Arizona Republic
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio generated a lot of attention when more than 230 deputies and volunteer posse members went into Mesa 11 days ago on another high-profile crime-suppression operation, but at the same time, a group of several hundred law enforcement agents- including some from Arpaio's office- were quietly conducting a roundup of its own.

The results of the effort, known as Operation Falcon, released in a Monday morning press conference, show the value of agencies making a concerted effort to target repeat offenders, a group of law enforcement officials said.

"To go after people we have been focusing on for the last few years is certainly an appropriate use of our resources," said Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris. "That's the kind of enforcement activity that will result in a reduction in the crime rate and making our community safer."

The weeklong effort involved 154 law enforcement agents and resulted in 312 arrests, including a pair of men who Mexican police picked up on murder warrants out of Los Angeles. The campaign, now in its fourth year, also netted more than 150 narcotics suspects and 10 sex offenders, according to the U.S. Marshal's Office.

Arpaio and representatives from the Sheriff's Office didn't make the press conference, but the sheriff's presence was felt as officials drew the distinction between targeting certain fugitives and "flooding" an area with law enforcement agents in the hopes of ensnaring lawbreakers.

As with prior operations organized through the Marshal's office, Arpaio committed deputies and resources to the effort, as did 40 other agencies around the state.

Analysts with the Marshal's Office began combing through nearly 3,000 felony warrants from around the state a couple of months ago, said David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal in Arizona. The group narrowed the thousands of warrants down to the 300 most significant offenders who they could identify and develop quality leads on.

Detectives and agents then fanned out across the state in groups of eight-to-10 during the last week of June and picked up as many fugitives as they could find.

Though the targeted effort ended at the end of June, the work of the U.S. Marshal's task force, the Department of Public Safety's new Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and other collaborative efforts to make a dent in the estimated 40,000 felony warrants open in Maricopa County will continue, officials vowed.

"We will be back," said Glendale assistant Police Chief Preston Becker.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 07-ON.html

Thank you Joe....You are THE best!!!!!!!!

I hope that the paper didn't run this story in attempting to show that Napolitano did the right thing by cutting Joe's funding because this kind of collaborative operation here in the Valley is not a new one.

We've seen this particular collaboration sweep through our area for the past few years now and that's not including the warrant sweeps that the MCSO conducts on their own.

Both are really something to see.

Comments are being left at the source link.
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Authorities round up 312 fugitives in Arizona
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.07.2008
PHOENIX — Authorities say they’ve rounded up 312 fugitives in Arizona as part of an ongoing collaboration between numerous police agencies around the state.
The fugitives include two suspected murderers from South Korea and another from Mexico as well as convicted child molesters and parole violators.
U.S. Marshal David Gonzales says that some were on the loose for several years.
As part of the sweep, authorities also confiscated a number of firearms and drugs.
Arizona authorities have struggled to keep up with the thousands of fugitives living in the state. Police officials said in May that there were about 41,000 felony warrants pending in Maricopa County alone, and 500 to 600 more are added to that list each week.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/247195.php

Gotta love Sheriff Joe...I'm a HUGE fan of how this guy sticks to his guns no matter WHAT political pressures the media and others try to use to dissuade him. =) I wish we had a lot more of his attitude toward immigration enforcement around...if local LEO's everywhere got involved like this guy has, it could REALLY make a difference imo.

His website is interesting. Sometimes go there to read and periodically email my appreciation.
http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=Home