TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow, the
State’s 21 County Prosecutors, the
State Police, the State Parole Board and
a task force of federal, state, county and
local law enforcement agencies today announced
the results of SWEEP (Summer Warrant Effective
Enforcement Program). The operation resulted
in the arrests of 1,162 high-risk parole
and probation absconders as well as other
fugitives during the months of July and
August, when violent and property crimes
tend to peak.
“The
program objectives were five-fold: (1) incapacitate
ongoing and persistent crime committed by
previously convicted criminals; (2) reduce
the number of potential crime perpetrators;
(3) enhance special deterrence by discouraging
parole and probation violations; (4) provide
new sources of intelligence, confidential
information, and cooperators; and (5) utilize
intelligence-led policing strategies to
supplement local law enforcement resources,”
said Attorney General Dow.
Recidivist
offenders account for a significant proportion
of the violent and property crimes committed
in this state. Despite significant advances
in re-entry programs and services, many
ex-offenders return to a life of crime and
violence.
“Unless
law enforcement agencies dedicate resources
to assist in executing outstanding warrants,
many parole and probation absconders can
‘hide in plain sight’ in their
neighborhood, despite the diligent efforts
of the agencies that supervise them. The
continued presence of these delinquent offenders
in our communities poses a serious and immediate
threat to public safety, depreciates the
authority of the criminal justice system,
and degrades the quality of life for law
abiding citizens,” added Dow.
Scores
of police officers, state troopers, parole
officers, U.S. Marshals, probation officers,
sheriff’s officers, and county prosecutor
investigators participated in the two month
enforcement program. Results indicate that
authorities arrested 339 parolees and 823
fugitives during the summer program.
Prosecutor
Luis A. Valentin, Monmouth County Prosecutor
and President of the New Jersey Prosecutors
Association, stated “New Jersey’s
County Prosecutors enthusiastically embraced
the opportunity to work collaboratively
on the SWEEP
project.
The success of this statewide program will
help keep all of New Jersey safer and send
a strong message to absconders and fugitives
that law enforcement authorities are not
going to forget about them. Together, we
have built a strong foundation for this
program to be replicated in the future.”
“This
operation sends a message to communities
throughout our state that we are
dedicated to and vigilant about public safety
and focused on those most likely to commit
serious or violent offenses,” said
Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of
the New Jersey State Police.
While
the SWEEP program is continuing, newly appointed
State Parole Board Chairman James Plousis
has enacted a number of parole absconder
reforms including the merger of the State
Parole Board’s Fugitive Apprehension
Unit with the U.S. Marshals Service New
York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force consists of
a team of federal, state and local law enforcement
officers that specializes in finding and
capturing wanted fugitives.
“The
U.S. Marshals Task Force now serves as a
force multiplier for the State Parole Board,
immediately lending its manpower and resources
to the investigation, surveillance and apprehension
of parole absconders,” said State
Parole Chairman Plousis. “With this
partnership, we’re making use of the
best resources available, adding extra manpower,
surveillance and intelligence with no new
costs to our agency. This is a seamless
mesh of police resources, and we believe
it will help us get parole absconders off
the streets more swiftly and more safely.”
Attorney
General Dow commended the State’s
21 County Prosecutor’s Offices, the
New Jersey State Police, the State Parole
Board, the U.S. Marshals Service, the State
Probation Services Division, the County
Sheriff’s Offices and the many local
Police Departments throughout the State
for their participation in the program.
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