Sex offenders, other serious criminals from Wisconsin arrested in “Operation FALCON II”

(MADISON) – Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Matthew Frank announced today that a U.S. Marshals Service roundup of dangerous sex offenders has netted several who have been evading Wisconsin’s Sex Offender Registry, as well as many other serious or violent criminals. The DOC assisted the U.S. Marshals Service’s “Operation FALCON II” through its partnership in the service’s Great Lakes Regional Fugitives Task Force.

“We are extremely happy to be a partner with U.S. Marshal William Kruziki in the Eastern District, along with other law enforcement agencies, in locating and cracking down on violent criminals from Wisconsin,” Secretary Frank said. “Through this recent nationwide sweep, we are working together to make Wisconsin neighborhoods safer.”

A total of 39 DOC fugitives were apprehended, most of them in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine and Waukesha counties, during the “Operation FALCON II” sweep April 17-23. Among those arrested include 12 sex offenders, as well as other fugitives who committed offenses such as attempted armed robbery, battery to law enforcement and various drug-related offenses.

The effort exemplifies DOC’s efforts to work across jurisdictions to hold offenders accountable. Some of the sex offenders arrested in “Operation FALCON II” are among those being targeted under Governor Doyle’s Sex Offender Accountability and Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative to track down offenders who have failed to comply with the state’s sex offender registry reporting requirements.

This year’s roundup represents more than twice the number of DOC fugitives apprehended during the first “Operation FALCON” roundup last year. Operation FALCON stands for Federal and Local Cops Organizing Nationally.

“We appreciate the partnership we have with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies as we work together to track fugitives down and hold them accountable,” Secretary Frank said. “We need to do everything we can to make sure we have the tightest net possible around dangerous criminals, so that our children, families and communities can stay safe.”

The DOC joined the Great Lakes Regional Fugitives Task Force in November 2004. Since then, 200 DOC fugitives have been apprehended through this task force, which includes federal agencies as well as local and state agencies in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.