U.S. Marshals conducted Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 9 through 13, the third of its kind in eastern Oklahoma. Operation FALCON combines federal, state, city and county law enforcement agencies to arrest people wanted for violent crimes, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The targets for the recent Operation FALCON were violent offenders, gang members and sex offenders.
By using the capabilities of 33 participating law enforcement agencies, the operation ended with 290 fugitives arrested, 14 were wanted for weapons violations, 108 narcotics arrests, and four non-compliant sexual offenders. Items seized during the operation included one sawed-off shotgun, a large marijuana plant, about two grams of methamphetamine, about $1,500 in cash and digital scales.
"Historically the U.S. Marshals have proven that when it partners with other federal, state and local law enforcement we have outstanding success, particularly here in eastern Oklahoma," John Loyd, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, said. "Some of the agencies in our 26-county district are small by national standards and do not routinely have the resources at their disposal that they have during the course of these operations.
"You can see the results. Our best weapons in this element of the war on crime are the individual officers. They have strong local ties that have developed while growing up in these rural areas. Their roots have given them longstanding intimate knowledge and have created emotional attachments to the people in these communities. They know where to go and who to talk to."
The goal of Operation FALCON is to make communities safer, John F. Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service, said.
Operation FALCON-Muskogee consisted of over 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, making up dozens of separate arrest teams working throughout the five-day period. When necessary, each participating local officer was sworn in as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal immediately prior to the start of the operation. This special authority empowered them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives throughout the week.
Agencies contributing to Muskogee's Operation FALCON included the U.S. Marshals Service, Muskogee Police Department, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Muskogee County Sheriff, Wagoner County Sheriff, Wagoner Police Department, Coweta Police Department, Porter Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff, Tahlequah Police Department, District 27 Drug Task Force, Vian Police Department, Adair County Sheriff, Drug Enforcement Administration, LeFlore County Sheriff, District 16 DA Task Force, Poteau Police Department, Pontotoc County Sheriff, Ada Police Department, Chickasaw Light Horse Police, DA Drug Taskforce Pontotoc County, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Pushmataha County Sheriff, Choctaw County Sheriff, Hugo Police Department, District 17 DA Drug Task Force, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Carter County Sheriff, Ardmore Police Department, Coal County Sheriff, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, U.S. Attorney's Office, and Oklahoma Department of Human Services-Office of Inspector General.
