The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 4,455 violent fugitives during the latest phase of its high-impact fugitive apprehension initiative, dubbed Operation North Star III (ONS III). ONS III targeted violent offenders in 20 cities and resulted in the clearance of 2,818 violent warrants, to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and firearms violations. During this 3-month enforcement effort, investigators also seized 555 firearms, more than $1 million in U.S. currency, and 85 kilograms of illegal narcotics.
The primary jurisdictions of ONS III were Albuquerque; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.
“Together with our law enforcement partners across the country, the Justice Department is zeroing in on the violent fugitives responsible for the greatest crime in our communities,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The U.S. Marshals Service conducted Operation North Star III to target the most violent criminals, and together with state and local law enforcement arrested over 4,400 fugitives across 20 cities in just three months.”
“ONS is an evidence-based strategy that targets the drivers of violence in our communities,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis. “ONS is part of the Attorney General’s violent crime reduction strategy, and its success is based on community partnerships and collaboration with our local and state law enforcement partners. I want to thank the outstanding work of the women and men of the USMS and our partnering law enforcement agencies. Together with the community, these efforts have contributed to successful violence reduction efforts in ONS cities.”
This enforcement action marks the third ONS since July 2022. In total, U.S. Marshals have apprehended more than 6,700 wanted fugitives, including 900 charged with homicide, in addition to removing more than 900 weapons associated to violent crime. The concept behind interagency law enforcement operations such as ONS evolved largely from regional and district fugitive task forces. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Marshals Service has combined their resources and expertise with local, state, and federal agencies to find and apprehend dangerous fugitives.
Read more at the Justice Department
