More than 6,400 sex offenders, gang members and other fugitives were arrested in a series of law enforcement operations conducted throughout the United States, top Justice Department officials announced Wednesday. Acting Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford, center, discusses Operation FALCON Wednesday in Washington.Led by the U.S. Marshals Service, teams of federal agents and local police over the past four months scoured 27 cities in 22 states to round up fugitives police described as some of the most dangerous. Authorities said 542 sex offenders, 300 gang members and 73 murder suspects were among those captured. The first of the raids took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in June, and the last of them ended in Philadelphia in September.
The coordinated effort marked the fourth installment of what the Marshals Service calls Operation FALCON, featuring cooperation between federal and local authorities. "This cooperative effort has made our communities safer and promotes future cooperative efforts by law enforcement agencies at every level of government," Acting Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford said in a statement.
"Our actions have spared families, friends and entire communities the anguish of becoming victims at the hands of these repeat offenders," said Director John Clark of the U.S. Marshals Service. Clark said there are more than 1 million individuals with outstanding warrants in the United States.