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

On June 13, 2005, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) sent copies of the draft report to the United States Marshals Service (USMS) with a request for written comments. The USMS responded to us in a memorandum dated July 5, 2005. USMS Response The USMS agreed with the five OIG recommendations to further improve the USMS’s effectiveness in apprehending violent fugitives and reducing the number of violent federal fugitives at large. The USMS’s response also described the actions it has taken and plans to take to implement the recommendations. OIG Analysis of the USMS Response The actions undertaken and planned by the USMS to improve the USMS’s effectiveness in apprehending violent fugitives and to reduce the number of violent federal fugitives at large are responsive to our recommendations. RECOMMENDATIONS 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. Summary of USMS Response. The USMS agreed with the recommendation and will develop performance standards and measures of its progress in apprehending violent fugitives and reducing the number of violent fugitives at large by October 1, 2005. OIG Analysis. Recommendation 1 is Resolved – Open. The actions planned by the USMS to develop performance standards and measures are responsive to our recommendation. Please provide a copy of the performance standards and measures by November 1, 2005. Recommendation 2: Require districts to enter state fugitive investigations in the Warrant Information Network (WIN) when the investigations are opened by the USMS. Summary of USMS Response. The USMS agreed with the recommendation and stated that to fully assess its progress in apprehending violent fugitives, districts must enter state fugitive investigations into WIN as investigations are opened. Also, the USMS stated that additional administrative resources are required for entering all state fugitives into WIN. The USMS will develop procedural policy and guidelines regarding the entry of state fugitives into WIN by October 1, 2005. OIG Analysis. Recommendation 2 is Resolved – Open. The actions planned by the USMS to develop procedural policy and guidelines and to request additional administrative resources to ensure that state fugitive investigations are entered into WIN when investigations are opened are responsive to our recommendation. Please provide a copy of the procedures and of all requests for additional resources by November 1, 2005. Recommendation 3: Establish criteria for districts to ensure that violent federal fugitive investigations are assigned to the Regional Fugitive Task Forces (RTF) and other task forces. Summary of USMS Response. The USMS agreed that establishing criteria for the referral of violent federal fugitive cases to the RTFs and other task forces is necessary. The USMS plans to establish procedural and policy guidance governing the assignment of violent federal fugitive cases, including collateral leads, to the RTFs and district task forces, and will make recommendations regarding these policies by October 1, 2005. OIG Analysis. Recommendation 3 is Resolved – Open. The actions planned by the USMS to develop procedural and policy guidance governing the assignment of violent federal fugitive cases to the RTFs and district task forces are responsive to our recommendation. Please provide a copy of the recommendations regarding the procedural and policy guidance by November 1, 2005. Recommendation 4: Analyze WIN data to ensure that the districts appropriately focus on violent federal and state fugitive investigations. Summary of USMS Response. The USMS agreed with the recommendation and noted that the USMS already conducts some analyses using WIN data. The USMS plans to improve this effort by incorporating the performance measures created in response to Recommendation 1 and other pertinent information into improved WIN data analyses. These analyses are designed to improve the USMS’s effectiveness in apprehending violent fugitives and reducing the number of violent fugitives at large. OIG Analysis. Recommendation 4 is Resolved – Open. The actions planned by the USMS to improve WIN data analysis and develop new reporting requirements are responsive to our recommendation. The USMS plans to implement this new analysis effort by December 1, 2005. Please provide a status report on the development of improved WIN analysis by November 1, 2005. Recommendation 5: Consider creating the six RTFs proposed in the Department’s October 2004 Fugitive Apprehension Report. Summary of USMS Response. The USMS agreed with the recommendation and will continue to request appropriations for staffing and funding to create additional RTFs. OIG Analysis. Recommendation 5 is Resolved – Closed. The actions planned by the USMS to request appropriations for staffing and funding to create additional RTFs are responsive to our recommendation.