NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 22, 2010
Contact: DUSM Christopher DeRosa, District of Arizona
(520) 904-3337
U.S. Marshals Train Over 300 Tucson Area Law
Enforcement Officers in International Fugitive
Investigations
Tucson, Ariz – Today over 300 law enforcement officers from the Tucson area and the
Southwest gathered in Tucson to participate in training coordinated by the U.S. Marshals
Service (USMS). The fugitive investigations training seminar focused on international fugitive
investigations. Local, national, and international specialists brought together by the U.S.
Marshals Service in Arizona traveled to Tucson to provide their expertise during the training
seminar. The training was provided at no expense to law enforcement partners.
Topics included conducting foreign fugitive investigations, which supplied law enforcement
officers the knowledge to continue an investigation even if the offender crossed international
boundaries.
Numerous law enforcement leaders from the community showed their support for this
endeavor including, U.S. Marshal David Gonzales, Tohono O’odham Nation Director of Public
Safety Edward Reina Jr., Tohono O’odham Nation Chief of Police Joseph Delgado, Tucson
Police Department Assistant Chief Kathleen Robinson, and Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
Ron Schlagel who welcomed the officers, many traveling from all over the sate to attend the
training.
United States Marshal David Gonzales emphasized the importance of this seminar stating,
"Fugitives are one of the top criminal justice problems in Arizona. There are an estimated 2.7
million fugitives in the United States, 40,000 in Arizona. Fugitives on the lam erode faith in our
court system by delaying justice and victims of crime fall through the cracks.” He added, “This
training will provide investigators the necessary tools to be more effective in hunting fugitives."
Fidencio Rivera, Chief Deputy, for the USMS in Arizona stated, “This seminar provides an
opportunity for the USMS to enhance partnerships with law enforcement partners in our
combined efforts to combat violence in our communities and the impact from those who flee
the U.S. to avoid apprehension.”
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually,
U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal
warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more information on other USMS Top
15 fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.
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