Thread: Hundreds of fugitives go free in Phoenix

by Michael Ferraresi - Apr. 24, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Phoenix police free hundreds of fugitives with felony warrants each year because they're unable to extradite them back to the places where they were charged.

Since 2008, Phoenix has released more than 820 suspected felons out of nearly 3,000 arrested for crimes ranging from murder to document crimes, according to Public Safety Manager Jack Harris.


Harris said Friday he planned to share the issue with Vice President Joe Biden in an upcoming visit to Phoenix, with the hope of creating national attention for the issue.

The problem is that some states list suspects as non-extraditable. Others refuse to extradite because they "don't have the people or the money" to do so, Harris said, adding that the confusion could put Phoenix residents in danger as more criminals realize that freedom is merely another state away.

"We need to find a way to resolve this problem nationwide," Harris said. "I don't think anyone was aware of the numbers that we're talking about until our squad here in Phoenix started arresting hundreds and hundreds of people wanted on warrants."

"We can't legally hold them," he said. "The bad guys know that. They have a free ticket until you're able to arrest them on a local charge."

Phoenix officers target suspects with warrants but they are forced to release them if other agencies refuse to extradite.

Police fear that could lead to a fatal mistake like the case of Maurice Clemmons - who killed four police officers this winter in Lakewood, Wash., after authorities in Arkansas allegedly refused to extradite him on charges of assaulting a police officer and the second-degree rape of a child.

The Phoenix Police Warrant Interdiction Squad made 1,060 arrests on felony and misdemeanor warrants in the first seven months of 2008, but detectives estimated that 44 percent or more of the cases were released with non-extraditable felony warrants.

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said a national study by an organization such as the Police Executive Research Forum would be key to determine the scope of quashed warrants and the impact on local police.

"That's another reason why we need to study the issue," Hill said. "We don't really know."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... oenix.html

Ya...makes no sense....

Has anybody told the Mayor of Phoenix about this yet?

Originally Posted by hardlineconstitutionalist

by Michael Ferraresi - Apr. 24, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


Since 2008, Phoenix has released more than 820 suspected felons out of nearly 3,000 arrested for crimes ranging from murder to document crimes, according to Public Safety Manager Jack Harris.

Police fear that could lead to a fatal mistake like the case of Maurice Clemmons - who killed four police officers this winter in Lakewood, Wash., after authorities in Arkansas allegedly refused to extradite him on charges of assaulting a police officer and the second-degree rape of a child.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... oenix.html

Hey, 'Bama says they're playing by the rules!