Dave Cullom, Sam Logwood and Don Prout spend their days, and often their nights, hunting for fugitives in Marion County, Ind. And with thousands of new fugitives wanted by the courts each month, they and other members of Sheriff Frank Anderson’s warrant squad have a key role in curbing crime, reports the Indianapolis Star. Fearing a 2007 surge in crime could continue, the county authorized the hiring of 12 new officers six months ago. That brought a total of 35 officers to a new division formed when two separate operations merged under the sheriff.
With the changes, officers are now arresting about 300 fugitives a month, up from about 120 a month, but officials say they will never have enough officers to capture the more than 25,000 criminals wanted on warrants in Marion County. The teams have to be selective as to whom they hunt, so they focus on capturing the one-third of fugitives who are wanted for the most serious crimes. About 9,200 people are wanted on felony charges such as murder, aggravated assault and rape. The county has too few officers to chase down the roughly 15,800 other warrants for misdemeanor and traffic offenses.
Link: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081013/LOCAL18/810130347