Review of the United States Marshals Service's
Apprehension of Violent Fugitives

Evaluation and Inspections Report I-2005-008
July 2005
Office of the Inspector General

The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Evaluations and Inspections Division is conducting a nationwide evaluation of the Fugitive Investigations Program managed by the United States Marshals Service (USMS). As part of that review, we are conducting this survey of USMS districts to obtain input regarding the fugitive investigation efforts in your district, as well as any opportunities you see for improvement. Your input is very important to us, and we are counting on you to respond openly to the questions provided. We also value your narrative comments, and we encourage you to include them. Questionnaire Information Name: Title: District: Years Served in the USMS: Years Served in this District: Phone: Fax: E-Mail: PLEASE NOTE: For purposes of this questionnaire, the term "fugitive investigation" is defined as the effort to apprehend one fugitive, regardless of the number of warrants for that fugitive or the number of fugitives apprehended during one investigation. DIRECTIONS: This survey should be completed by the Marshal, the Chief Deputy Marshal, the Assistant Chief Deputy Marshal responsible for fugitive investigations, or the warrant squad supervisor. Unless otherwise noted, please answer the following questions as they relate to operations in your district, including all sub-offices. For questions regarding specific numbers, please answer to the best of your ability. If you are unable to provide specific numbers in certain sections, please indicate why. For those questions for which you cannot provide data, we will attempt to obtain the information from USMS-wide databases. To answer this questionnaire electronically, please click your cursor in the appropriate area and type your response. After you have completed the questionnaire, please save the document and e-mail it as an attachment to the following address: District.Survey@usdoj.gov. If you prefer, you may print out the questionnaire, fill it out manually, and mail or fax it to the following: USMS Fugitive Investigations Questionnaire U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (E&I) 1425 New York Avenue, N.W. Suite 6100 Washington, DC 20530 FAX: 202-616-4584 I. PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN FUGITIVE INVESTIGATIONS DEFINITIONS: USMS regional fugitive task force (RFTF): Task forces created by the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. They include the New York/New Jersey RFTF, the Pacific Southwest RFTF, the Great Lakes RFTF, the Southeast RFTF, and the Capital Area RFTF. USMS district fugitive task force: Task force led by USMS district personnel within a district. Other fugitive task force not led by USMS: Task force in which the USMS participates, but that is led by another law enforcement agency. For example, an FBI-led Violent Crimes Task Force, or a DEA-led HIDTA Task Force. District warrant squad: Entity within district that investigates fugitives, but not as part of any task force. Other deputy marshals: Deputy marshals within district who conduct fugitive investigations as one of several duties, but who are not members of a warrant squad or any task force. For each question in the left column of the table, please respond based on the entity listed in the top row. If your district does not have a particular entity, please enter "N/A." Your answers should reflect your current operations.   USMS regional fugitive task force USMS district fugitive task force Other fugitive task force not led by USMS USMS district warrant squad Other deputy marshals 1a. If your district is included in an RFTF, how many Investigative Services Division personnel from USMS Headquarters are assigned to the RFTF in your district?     1b. How many district deputies are normally assigned full time?           1c. If the positions are rotational for the full-time deputies, how long is each of the rotations?           1d. How many district deputies are normally assigned part time (i.e., they also perform other duties such as judicial security or prison transportation)?           1e. If the positions are rotational for the part-time deputies, how long are each of the rotations?           II. TYPES OF FUGITIVE INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED DEFINITIONS: Violent federal Class I warrants: Warrants for fugitives for which the USMS has primary apprehension responsibility and which involve fugitives with criminal histories or investigations of violent crimes; fugitives wanted for "over-the-wall" escapes as distinguished from camp or halfway-house escapes; or fugitives wanted on DEA-initiated warrants for DEA Class 1 and 2 offenders and other DEA serious offenders. Non-violent federal Class I warrants: All other Class I warrants not included in category above. Federal Class II felony warrants: Felony fugitives for which another law enforcement agency has primary apprehension responsibility. Federal Class II non-felony warrants: Misdemeanor and traffic warrants for which the USMS has primary apprehension responsibility. State and local warrants: Warrants originating from a local or state law enforcement agency. Collateral leads: Information from another USMS district or from an RFTF regarding a fugitive who has fled to your district. For fiscal year 2004, please estimate to the best of your ability the percentage of fugitive investigations in your district that were conducted by the following entities. If your district does not have a particular entity, please enter "N/A" for the entire column. Row percentages should add up to 100 percent.   USMS regional fugitive task force USMS district fugitive task force Other fugitive task force not led by USMS USMS district warrant squad Other deputy marshals TOTAL 2a. Violent federal Class I warrants           100% 2b. Non-violent federal Class I warrants           100% 2c. Federal Class II felony warrants           100% 2d. Federal Class II non-felony warrants           100% 2e. State and local warrants           100% 2f. Collateral leads received from another USMS district           100% 2g. Collateral leads received from a USMS RFTF           100% 3a. Please describe how your district determines which fugitive investigations are assigned to the USMS regional fugitive task force. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) 3b. Please describe how your district determines which fugitive investigations are assigned to the USMS district fugitive task force. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) 3c. Please describe how your district determines which fugitive investigations are assigned to another fugitive task force not led by the USMS. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) 3d. Please describe how your district determines which fugitive investigations are assigned to the USMS district warrant squad. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) 3e. Please describe how your district determines which fugitive investigations are assigned to deputy marshals not assigned to a district warrant squad or task force. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) 3f. Please explain how your district prioritizes between federal fugitive investigations and state and local fugitive investigations. (If not applicable, please write "N/A".) III. INVESTIGATIONS OF FUGITIVES For the following fiscal years, please indicate the total number of Class I DEA fugitives for which your district held the warrant:   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of DEA fugitives         For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of Class I DEA fugitives for which the DEA transferred primary apprehension responsibility to the USMS using the DEA Form-202:   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of DEA fugitives         For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of Class II federal felony fugitive investigations that your district conducted for each of the following law enforcement agencies that had primary apprehension responsibility.   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 6a. Federal Bureau of Investigation         6b. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives         6c. U.S. Secret Service         6d. Housing and Urban Development         6e. Social Security Administration         6f. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection (in Department of Homeland Security)         6g. Other Agency:         6h. Other Agency:         6i. Other Agency:         6j. Other Agency:         * Formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service ** Formerly U.S. Customs Service and U.S. Border Patrol For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of collateral leads that you received from other USMS districts:   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of collateral leads from other USMS districts         For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of collateral leads that you received from a USMS RFTF:   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of collateral leads from USMS RFTFs         For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of fugitive investigations conducted by your district of state or local fugitives:   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of state or local fugitive investigations         IV. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR FUGITIVE INVESTIGATIONS For the following fiscal years, please indicate the number of fugitive investigations conducted by your district for which you obtained assistance from the Technical Operations Group (TOG) (i.e., Electronic Surveillance Unit).   FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 Number of fugitive investigations that included assistance from TOG         For FY 2004, please indicate the number of fugitive investigations conducted by your district for which you obtained assistance from the Financial Surveillance Unit, which provides financial investigative tools to apprehend fugitives. Which of the following statements best describes how your district enters state and local fugitive investigations into the WIN database? Check one  Our district does not enter state and local fugitive investigations into WIN.  Our district enters state and local fugitive investigations into WIN when the investigations are opened.  Our district usually enters state and local fugitive investigations into WIN when the investigations are closed, unless we need an FID number from WIN to facilitate the investigation.  Our district enters state and local fugitive investigations into WIN when the investigations are closed. What district codes are used to identify your district, its sub-offices, and any task force locations when entering data into WIN? Code   Description of district, sub-office, or task force location represented by the code 053   Eastern district of New York - Brooklyn location A53   Eastern district of New York - Islip sub-office N53   Eastern district of New York - Regional fugitive task force office                         What task force codes are used to identify any task forces in your district when entering data into WIN? Code   Description of district, sub-office, or task force location represented by the code NYRT   New York/New Jersey regional fugitive task force NETF   New England task force (in District of Massachusetts)                         V. CONCLUSION How satisfied are you with the fugitive apprehension efforts of the following (check one in each row):   Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Not Applicable 15a. Regional fugitive task force 15b. USMS district task force 15c. Other task forces not led by USMS 15d. USMS district warrant squad 15e. Other deputy marshals 15f. District's efforts overall Please explain below your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with fugitive apprehension efforts: Please list below any improvements or changes that you would like to see in your district’s fugitive apprehension efforts: Please list below what you believe works best in your district regarding its fugitive apprehension efforts: If you have any other comments regarding the fugitive apprehension efforts in your district, please include them below: Thank you again for your time and assistance with this questionnaire.