Fugitive of the Week Program Leads to the Arrest of 43 Fugitives in 2019

Concord, NH – The United States Marshals Service has been so fortunate to be partnered with Peter St. James and Pat Kelly with the "New Hampshire Wake Up Show" featuring the "Fugitive of the Week" program for the State of New Hampshire. This program has continued to grow with each passing year and we continue to see tremendous success as a result of the program. The number of tips that come in on a regular basis is incredible, which clearly shows how much the people of New Hampshire truly care about the well-being of our state, its residents and its visitors.

The staff of the United States Marshals Service and the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force continues to be grateful and wants to extend their thanks to all of our media partners including; radio, newspapers, television and the internet for their continuing support. Without all of their assistance and the assistance of the public, this program would not have had the success that it has. I personally would like to thank Peter St. James, Pat Kelly and WTPL "The Pulse" for joining forces to create the "Fugitive of the Week" program back in 2007. Peter and Pat continue to be great friends to the law enforcement community by helping to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public.

We can never thank our greatest supporters enough, so a big thank you to all of the tipsters that have called, emailed, texted or showed up at our door-step with invaluable information that helped make our communities safer for all of us.

The "Fugitive of the Week" is just one facet of the work done by the U.S. Marshals Service here in New Hampshire. The U.S. Marshals here in New Hampshire are responsible for the day to day transportation and production of defendants for federal court hearings, as well as ensuring the overall security of the federal courthouse, the judges and staff.

On a national scale the U.S. Marshals are also charged with the seizure and forfeiture of assets taken in connection with civil and criminal cases; Prisoner transportation around the country to and from court hearings and correctional institutions (think Con Air!); Additionally, the U.S. Marshals Service operates the Witness Security Program, sometimes referred to as the "Witness Protection Program". This program provides for the security, safety and health of government witnesses and their authorized family members, whose lives are in danger as a result of their cooperation with the U.S. government.

All of this is done, while operating the very successful New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force. The task force is comprised of five full time task force officers including Belknap, Hillsborough, Rockingham & Strafford County Sheriff's Offices, the Greenfield Police Department, along with deputy U.S. Marshals and over 40 local, county, state and federal agencies working together to locate and arrest fugitives around the state, country and world. As of December 16, 2019, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force has been responsible for locating 424 fugitives during this past year to date. This would not be possible without the high level of teamwork and cooperation provided by the fugitive task force and all law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Marshal, Nick Willard said "I am very impressed with the continued success of the Fugitive of the Week program and the tremendous results it yields year after year. It's a testament of the cooperation of the community, media and law enforcement, who work together for the betterment of our communities by making them safer." Willard continued, "I am also incredibly proud of the Deputy U.S. Marshals and our task force members for their professionalism and courage as they remove dangerous fugitives from neighborhoods throughout New Hampshire."

Since the inception of the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force in 2002, these partnerships have resulted in over 7,908 arrests (Updated as of 12/16/2019). These arrests have ranged in seriousness from murder, assault, unregistered sex offenders, probation and parole violations and numerous other serious offenses. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 85 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.