340 Fugitives Arrested During Operation Falcon Arizona

Arizona Other than the warmer-than-usual August weather, Thursday morning, August 23, 2007, seemed no different than most mornings to most folks. The day, however, was filled with surprise as U.S. Marshals, DPS Swat, and a Maricopa County probation officer with the warrants division descended on several east Valley fugitives. The morning began at 5 a.m. with a stop at the Rawls Motel in Mesa. The fugitive was wanted for kidnaping, sex crimes, and dealing drugs in the area. While this particular suspect was not at the address, the Marshals' confiscated a small caliber weapon and a crack pipe. As the morning progressed, several fugitives with warrants for theft, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage, burglary, aggravated assault, drugs, and numerous other charges, from Mesa to Apache Junction, were apprehended without incident. While riding with this group of six U.S. Marshals, two DPS Swat guys and a Maricopa County Probation Officer, I couldn't help but notice the comraderie between them. Although they are an imposing-looking group dressed in full attire complete with automatic rifles, stun guns, and brightly-colored lettering on bullet-proof vests, the U.S. Marshals are perhaps one of the least-understood law enforcement agencies. They are quiet, organized and focused, a group without the large egos seen in many enforcement officers with authority and a badge. They are the primary fugitive hunting organization in the country and are responsible for the capture of more federal fugitives each year than all other national law enforcement agencies combined. According to an agency spokesman, in one of the largest fugitive initiatives ever undertaken in the Phoenix-Tucson area, the U.S. Marshals Service teamed with law enforcement agencies, arresting 340 fugitives and clearing 371 warrants during a recent six-day sweep. Led by the U.S. Marshals Service, Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) is an ongoing, multi-city, nationwide law enforcement effort. The operation targets persons wanted for sexual offenses, gang members, narcotics violations, and other violent crimes. Since its start in July, Operation FALCON 2007 has netted 2,689 arrests and cleared 3,049 warrants in 16 operations. Operation FALCON - Arizona took place from August 19th through the 25th and this is the third consecutive year that the U.S. Marshals Service has conducted the FALCON fugitive sweep operation throughout the country. Of the 340 fugitives arrested, 18 were wanted for sexual offenses. Kenneth Adkins was arrested in Tucson by FALCON Task Force officers on Thursday, August 23, 2007 for violation of the Adam Walsh Act. Specifically, Adkins is charged as a registered sex offender who crossed state lines and failed to register at his new address. Adkins was convicted of sexual abuse of a 14 year old child in Arkansas in 2001 and did not register with local authorities under Arizona state law upon his arrival to Tucsons southwest side in early 2007. There were numerous arrests of targeted Phoenix and Tucson area fugitives that were wanted for violent crimes. One of those targeted fugitives, Jose Garcia was arrested in Phoenix during Operation FALCON for the beating death of a Phoenix man. Garcia has been charged with Second Degree Murder. Phoenix Police learned that GARCIA fled to Salt Lake City and contacted the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force there, where he was arrested without incident. Garcia is a member of the Sureno 13 Conchella 53rd Street gang and the Sureno Varrio Conchella Rifa in California. Garcia has an extensive violent criminal history of Assaults, Drug Possession, Child Abuse and Car Thefts. JOSE GARCIA Violent crime is on the increase in Arizona and one of the primary reasons is the sheer number of fugitives hiding in our communities, said David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. Law enforcement agencies work best when working together. The FALCON project is a perfect example of the police collaborating to remove the most dangerous predators off our streets¦not just grabbing the low hanging fruit for a statistic, said Marshal Gonzales. Operation FALCON Arizona was comprised of over 100 law enforcement agents from 25 contributing agencies in the Phoenix and Tucson area. The agencies involved in the operation were the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Chandler Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Eloy Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Housing and Urban Development, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Maricopa County Adult Probation, Mesa Police, Oro Valley Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Pinal County Adult Probation, Pima County Adult Probation, Pima County Sheriffs Department, Pinal County Sheriffs Department, Scottsdale Police Department, South Tucson Police Department , Tucson Police Department, Surprise Police Department, Tempe Police Department, Veteran Affairs, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and University of Arizona Police Department. The U.S. Marshals Service also coordinates the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Fugitive Task Force, a multi-agency task force that targets persons wanted for violent crimes, narcotic offenses, and sexual offenders in the Phoenix and Tucson area and surrounding cities. More than 35,500 federal fugitives were arrested and more than 38,500 felony warrants were cleared in fiscal 2005 by the Marshals Service. Marshals Service-led task forces arrested 44,000 state and local fugitives, clearing 51,200 state and local felony warrants. In addition to apprehending fugitives, federal marshals, which have served this country since 1789, protect federal judicial officials, and ensure the safety of witnesses who risk their lives testifying for the government in cases involving organized crime and other significant criminal activity. Since 1971, the Marshals Service has protected, relocated and given new identities to 7,800 witnesses and more than 9,900 of their family members. The testimonies of protected witnesses have resulted in an 89 percent conviction rate since the program began. The agency's Special Operations Group (SOG) is a specially trained tactical unit comprised of deputy marshals who can respond to incidents anywhere in the United States or its territories.