Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Marshals lead sweep netting 1,000 sex-crimes fugitives Date: Tue, 24 Nov 92 14:12:10 EST Message-ID: Lines: 74 \SE A;NATION \HD Marshals lead sweep netting 1,000 sex-crimes fugitives \BY Jerry Seper \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES More than 1,000 fugitives wanted by federal, state and local law-enforcement authorities for violent sex crimes were apprehended during a six-week sweep by a federal task force, the U.S. Marshals Service will announce today. The operation, known as Gunsmoke II, was launched Oct. 13 and included a major anti-crime campaign coordinated by the Justice Department in a selected number of cities across the country, including Washington, Baltimore and Northern Virginia. More than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officials, working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service, were involved in the apprehension of fugitives who used violence in the commission of sex crimes, were armed during the attacks or committed sex crimes against children. The arrests, according to law enforcement sources, involved more than 140 in the Washington area, including Maryland and Northern Virginia. Task force members apprehended more than 100 wanted rapists, 500 fugitives sought on aggravated sexual assault charges and more than 120 others accused in sex crimes against children. The U.S. Marshals Service will hold a press conference today at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington to announce the results of the operation. When the operation was launched, Attorney General William P. Barr said he was hopeful that the success of earlier federal sweeps would be repeated. "Recent statistics show more and more of these types of crimes are being reported across America," Mr. Barr said. "Law enforcement's response has increased as well. "With Gunsmoke II, we hope to continue the huge success of the earlier operation. This time we will concentrate on those criminals who have used or threatened violence in the commission of sex crimes or who have sexually assaulted innocent children," he said. "We want as many of these fugitives behind bars as possible." The task force, involving 100 U.S. marshals and 100 state and local law enforcement authorities, focused on fugitives being sought in Washington; Baltimore; Northern Virginia; Houston; San Francisco; Boston; Tallahassee, Fla.; Columbia, S.C.; Atlanta; Tampa, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; Oklahoma City; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; El Paso, Texas; Wichita, Kan.; and St. Louis. In a similar 10-week operation in the spring, ordered by Mr. Barr, the U.S. Marshals Service and state and local law enforcement authorities arrested more than 3,000 violent criminals in more than 40 cities and seized more than 730 guns and other weapons. The task force then consisted of about 250 U.S. marshals with a similar number of local and state law enforcement officials. The state and local officers were temporarily deputized as marshals so they could make arrests outside their jurisdictions. Nearly half of the fugitives arrested during Gunsmoke I were armed when taken into custody. The sweep cost $4 million and netted more than $6 million in cash, property, guns, drugs and contraband seized. Similar figures are expected to be released today. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM