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| MEMORANDUM TO: |
Paul A. Price
Assistant Inspector General
for Evaluation and Inspections |
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| FROM: |
Benigno G. Reyna
Director
U.S. Marshals Service |
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| SUBJECT: |
Review of the United States Marshals Service's
Apprehension of Violent Fugitives,
Assignment Number A-2004-012 |
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The following is in response to your memo dated June 13,2005 regarding the OIG's recommendations to further improve the USMS's effectiveness in apprehending violent fugitives and to reduce the number of violent federal fugitives at large:
Recommendation 1:
Establish measures and goals to track the USMS's performance in apprehending violent fugitives and its progress in reducing the number of violent fugitives at large.
USMS Response: (Agree) The USMS will develop performance standards and measures of its progress in apprehending violent fugitives and in reducing the number of violent fugitives at large. The USMS will develop these measures through deliberation with the Investigative Services Division's (ISD) Chiefs Investigative Advisory (CIA) Committee and the Management and Budget Division. Completion date for these measures is set for October 1, 2005. Measures to fully evaluate performance in apprehending violent state fugitives will be contingent on accomplishing recommendation 2.
Recommendation 2:
Require districts to enter state fugitive investigations in WIN when the investigations are opened by the USMS.
USMS Response: (Agree) We agree that to fully assess our progress in apprehending violent fugitives, districts must enter state fugitive investigations into WIN as investigations are opened by the USMS. Currently, the Chiefs Investigative Advisory (CIA) Committee is evaluating this policy change and will be providing recommendations regarding the entry of state fugitive investigations into WIN. Procedural guidelines and policy will be developed to address this issue by October 1, 2005. We recognize that, as referenced in Chart 2 and Chart 3 of the OIG report, workload has increased while administrative staff, essential for entering all state cases into WIN, has decreased. Administrative positions, essential to accomplishing this recommendation, will be requested. Implementation of a new policy may be contingent on additional resources.
Recommendation 3:
Establish criteria for districts to ensure that violent federal fugitive investigations are assigned to the RFTFs and other task forces.
USMS Response: (Agree) The USMS agrees that establishing criteria for the referral of violent federal fugitive cases to RFTFs and other task forces is necessary. The CIA Committee is in the process of evaluating policies and procedures regarding assignment of cases to RFTFs and other task forces, and will be providing recommendations to ISD by October 1, 2005. The goal is to develop policy regarding the assignment of cases to task forces procedurally to ensure that violent federal fugitive cases are investigated in the most efficient and effective manner. The procedural and policy guidance will reflect that violent. Federal fugitive cases, to include collateral leads, will be assigned to RFTF's and district task forces in furtherance of the USMS national task force network.
Recommendation 4:
Analyze WIN data to ensure that the districts appropriately focus on violent federal and state fugitive investigations.
USMS Response: (Agree) The Marshals Service conducts analyses using WIN data for a variety of reasons including focus on violent offenders. However, improvements to ensure that districts appropriately focus on violent federal and state fugitive investigations may be made by incorporating the performance measures discussed in recommendation #1 and some other pertinent information into a new WIN report with a built-in analysis easily retrievable by districts and headquarters to chart progress in this regard. However, until recommendation #2 is resolved, the report will not fully inform in some areas concerning state and local warrants. Requirements for this report will be developed and submitted to the Information Technology Division as a request for programming by October 1, 2005. The completion of the task will depend on Information Technology Division priorities at the time of submission. However, based on current scheduling, we estimate that the report could be completed by December 1, 2005.
Recommendation 5:
Consider creating the six RFTFs proposed in the Department's October 2004 Fugitive Apprehension Report.
USMS Response (Agree): The USMS has requested and will continue to request appropriations for staffing and funding to create additional RFTFs.
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