More than 1,300 fugitives voluntarily turned themselves in to law-enforcement officials in Phoenix last week as part of a U.S. Marshals Service program to allow people wanted for nonviolent felony or misdemeanor crimes to surrender.
The fugitives, including 300 with outstanding felony warrants, turned themselves in to authorities at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church as part of “Operation Safe Surrender,” U.S. Marshal David Gonzales said in Phoenix yesterday. The operation aims to reduce the risk to law-enforcement officers who pursue fugitives.
Those who surrendered in the operation, which ran from Nov. 15 through Saturday, did so peacefully to take advantage of what Mr. Gonzales called a “brief, one-time opportunity to take their first step toward a second chance in life.”
He said the fugitives surrendered to deputy marshals and local authorities at a temporary community court established in an administrative building next to the Pilgrim Rest church. Many had their cases heard by a judge, while others received future court dates.
Even after Sunday’s church services, one day after the official end of the Safe Surrender program, Mr. Gonzales said 40 more fugitives showed up to turn themselves in.
“This program meets a very powerful need,” said Pilgrim Rest’s leader, Bishop Alexis Thomas. “The authorities want fugitives to stop running, and as we plainly witnessed here, many nonviolent fugitives want to come in and get a second chance at life.
“Fugitive Safe Surrender gives them that opportunity, and our church was pleased to serve as a core partner in the program’s success,” he said.
The project’s core government partners included Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office also participated.
“Our criminal justice system here is one of the finest in the nation,” Mr. Gonzales said. “I moved quickly last fall to bring this program here because I strongly believe in its mission and I knew that Maricopa County would serve as an outstanding proving ground.”
Implementation of the Safe Surrender Program is expected next year in Indianapolis, and in Akron and Richmond, Ohio. The Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Arizona has begun a countywide fugitive roundup this week targeting the people who did not take advantage of the program.
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