U.S. Marshals in Kanas City Announce Results of Operation Triple Beam

Kansas City, MO – United States Marshal Mark S. James announced today the results of Operation Triple Beam, conducted in Kansas City during the summer of 2021.

The United States Marshals Service for the Western District of Missouri conducted a 60-day Operation Triple Beam from mid-July to September 2021 in support of the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability. The Marshals Service supports Project Safe Neighborhoods in the greater Kansas City area by engaging in focused and strategic enforcement priorities; Identifying persons with active felony warrants issued by local, state and federal prosecutor's offices and having a propensity to engage in violence within the community. The Marshals Service then works with local law enforcement departments to seek out and arrest those persons, bringing them to justice before the court in which they’ve already been charged.

During the summer of 2021, Operation Triple Beam was a USMS organized, collaborative effort with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension & Arraignment Section (FAAS) conducted in close partnership with the Independence, Missouri Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the United States Attorney's Office. The operation paid special attention to violence related crimes that occurred in the most disproportionately affected neighborhoods of Kansas City as identified by the local Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative and resulted in the following:

• Arrest of 150 state, local, and federal fugitives
• 2 gang members arrested
• 10 firearms seized
• 0.145 kilograms (kg) of narcotics seized
• 96 rounds of ammunition seized
• $4,498 in U.S. Currency seized

Of those arrested, 3 were for sexual offenses, 1 for burglary, 11 for sexual assault, 14 for assault, 4 for homicide, 27 for narcotics, 10 for robbery, 40 for weapons violations, and the remaining for a variety of other offenses such as failure to register as a sex offender, fraud, resisting or interfering with arrest, vehicle theft, etc. Over 93% of the arrests were for violence related crimes.

This Operation Triple Beam was the 5th in a series of targeted enforcement operations conducted by the U.S. Marshals that began in the summer of 2018 in support of Project Safe Neighborhoods and the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance- Public Safety Partnership (PSP). To date, these operations have resulted in the following:

• 2018 - Operation Washout (10 days)- 56 arrests for felony warrants, 12 firearms and numerous narcotics seized.
• 2019- Operation Triple Beam (90 days)- 355 Arrests and the seizure of 69 firearms (43 handguns, 18 rifles, 8 shotguns), 4.4kg narcotics, 2,382 rounds of ammunition and $1,228 in currency.
• 2020 - Operation Relentless Pursuit (60 days)- 176 arrests and the seizure of 12 firearms (9 handguns, 1 rifle, 2 shotguns), 1.034 kg narcotics, 141 rounds of ammunition and $3,581in currency.
• 2020 - Operation LeGend (90 days)- 488 arrests, 76 firearms seized, 5.49kg narcotics and $33,757 in currency.

KCPD Chief Rick Smith stated, "Our department would like to thank the U.S. Marshals and all of the other participating agencies for their hard work and dedication to this operation. This collaborative effort had an impact on reducing violent crime in our city and we are grateful for the successful outcome of Project Safe Neighborhoods."

For more information on the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in Kansas City, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/project-safe-neighborhoods-1.

The U.S. Marshals Midwest Violent Fugitive Task Force-Kansas City Division, operates in conjunction with members of the Kansas City, Independence and St. Joseph Missouri Police Departments, Jackson, Cass, Clay, Buchanan and Nodaway County Sheriff's Offices, Missouri State Highway Patrol and other federal law enforcement partners. The task force objectives are to seek out and arrest fugitives charged with violent crimes, drug offenses, sex offenders and other serious felonies. It also provides direct support to law enforcement agencies in tracking down and recovering missing children. Nationally the United States Marshals Service fugitive programs are carried out with local law enforcement in 94 district offices, 67 local fugitive task forces, 8 regional task forces, as well as a growing network of offices in foreign countries.

Tips can be submitted anonymously to the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers via the TIPS hotline at 816-474-8477, on the internet at KCcrimestoppers.com or on the free mobile app available at P3Tips.com. Tips can also be submitted to the U.S. Marshals service directly by downloading the USMS Tips app to your Apple or Android device. Follow the latest news and updates about the U.S. Marshals Service on Twitter: @USMarshalsHQ.