A total of 145 fugitives have been apprehended in northeast Ohio as part of a U.S. Marshals effort to reduce violent crime.
The U.S. Marshals Service said the arrests were part of the second phase of Operation North Star, which focused on the apprehension of the country’s most violent offenders. It brought a total of 830 total arrests nationally. They also seized 181 firearms and hundreds of pounds of drugs.
Operation Northstar started on January 9th and wrapped up on February 6th across the country.
Cleveland was one of ten cities selected to be part of the initiative’s second phase, along with Albuquerque, Buffalo, Columbus, Detroit, Jackson, Mississippi, Milwaukee, Oakland, and Puerto Rico. According to the U.S. Marshal’s Service, each city selected has seen a large increase in recent homicides and shootings.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, it laser-focused the operation on wanted individuals with warrants for the most serious, violent, and harmful offenses such as homicide, felonious assault, robbery, and sex offenses. Investigators focused their efforts on people who used weapons in their crimes or displayed risk characteristics for violence.
“The success of Operation North Star II is based on its laser focus on the most significant drivers of violence. We are confident that apprehending these offenders will bring a level of justice to their victims and contribute to the overall violence reduction efforts in each city,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said.
A total of 188 warrants were closed due to the arrests of 59 fugitives for assault, 20 for robbery, 17 for sex offenses, and 14 for homicide in northern Ohio. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, officers were able to remove three times as many violent fugitives from the streets this time around as they were able to last year because of their concentrated and collaborative efforts.
Although the U.S. Marshals Service was in charge of this operation, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County all played significant roles in its success.
“I am thankful for the leadership of Pete Elliott and his team at the United States Marshals Service along with all of our partner law enforcement agencies for participating in this successful multi-agency effort. Members of law enforcement remain committed to working together to keep our neighborhoods safe, and a major part of that lies in removing violent offenders from our streets,” Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said.
According to U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott, northern Ohio’s strong partnerships with area law enforcement agencies and members of the community is what made the operation a success and, in turn, safer for Ohioans.
“Working together on this operation to focus on apprehending the most dangerous fugitives in our area has helped to make Cleveland safer for the people who live and work here,” Elliott said.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
