U.S. Manhunt Nabs More Than 10,000 Fugitives

[Gold9472]

U.S. manhunt nabs more than 10,000 fugitives
'Operation Falcon' involved local, state and federal authorities

NBC News and news services
Updated: 1:00 p.m. ET April 14, 2005

WASHINGTON - More than 10,000 fugitives, many wanted for violent crimes, were rounded up over the past week in a coordinated nationwide effort led by U.S. marshals.

Officers from 960 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies took part in the concentrated search, which coincided with Crime Victims Rights Week, officials said. The dragnet caught 10,340 people, some of whom had two or more outstanding arrest warrants, Justice Department officials said.

More than 150 who were arrested were wanted for murder and another 550 were sought on rape or sexual assault charges, the officials said.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Marshals Service director Ben Reyna were to announce details of the roundup later Thursday.

Code named “Operation Falcon,” the dragnet was the largest ever in numbers of arrests and involved local, state and federal authorities, said Marshals Service spokesman David Turner.

Congress gave the Marshals Service more money and authority to go after fugitives when it refocused the FBI’s mission toward stopping terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Turner said. The Marshals Service now has five permanent regional task forces to search for fugitives, he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Gold9472]

700 People arrested for Murder and Rape... the two worst crimes imaginable. That leaves 9,300 arrests. What for? Unpaid parking tickets? Drug dealing? Drug using? What?

10,000 arrests in the span of a week? Jeez. Somebody's got a bug up their ass.

[Gold9472]

And what constitutes a "Fugitive"? I would like someone to explain that to me as if I were a 4 year old... Are "Terrorists" and "Fugitives" one and the same? The last paragraph states:

"Congress gave the Marshals Service more money and authority to go after fugitives when it refocused the FBI’s mission toward stopping terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks"

If I find out that someone with an unpaid parking ticket was the target of this "Operation", I am going to be ROYALLY pissed off.

[Gold9472]

Is it me, or is it a little scary that we're now being "rounded up" by the 1000s...