Fugitives Invited To Surrender -- In Church. Innovative Marshals Service Program Coming to Nashville

United Methodist Ministers are invited to be part of this program -- Safe Surrender is a rare joint effort of the Faith Community and the Criminal Justice System. Ministers can participate as spiritual advisors on site, they can make certain the Safe Surrender poster is prominently displayed, and they can mention the event from the pulpit. Many persons, within the church and outside the church, have loved ones who could benefit from the program -- if those loved ones can find out about it. Share the word.

Have questions? Want to volunteer. Contact United Stataes Marshall Denny W. King at 615-478-8884 or email denny.w.king@usdoj.gov

You can also get additonal information about the program by clicking on the following link: http://www.usmarshals.gov/safesurrender/

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) announces that fugitives in the Davidson County, Tennessee, area are being given a one-time opportunity to take their first step toward a second chance. Under a new Marshals Service program known as Fugitive Safe Surrender, individuals with outstanding warrants lodged against them can surrender to authorities in a safe and non-threatening environment. The four-day surrender period will take place at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville. At the urging of Denny W. King, United States Marshal for the Middle District of Tennessee, and Pastor William R. Harris, fugitives can surrender to authorities, consult with an attorney, and meet with a judge . . . all inside the friendly confines of the church.

Fugitive Safe Surrender does not offer amnesty in exchange for surrender; rather, it offers individuals who want to re-enter the mainstream of their communities a first step toward a second chance in the form of favorable consideration from the court. Not only will fugitives be able to surrender to authorities in a non-threatening environment, but for many of these individuals – particularly if they have no history of violence and are willing to accept responsibility for their actions – their cases will be adjudicated on site. While some will receive a future court date, nearly all will go home from the church without jail time.

The program will kick off on Wednesday, August 1, and run through Saturday, August 4, at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2021 Herman Street in Nashville. However, Marshal King has confirmed that when the surrender period ends, the Marshals Service will assist state and local law enforcement agencies in arresting fugitives with outstanding warrants throughout Davidson County.

The Fugitive Safe Surrender concept was initiated by Pete Elliott, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, whose motivation for creating the program stemmed from the murder of Cleveland police officer Wayne Leon by a fugitive in 2000. A career law enforcement officer, Marshal Elliott realized that desperate people commit desperate acts, sometimes with tragic consequences. He believed that many non-violent fugitives wanted for low-level felonies desired a second chance at life but were fearful of turning themselves in to police officers, sheriff’s deputies, or the Marshals Service. Seeking a creative alternative, the Marshal partnered with local criminal justice authorities, Cleveland’s religious community, and other civic leaders to launch the first Fugitive Safe Surrender program in August 2005.

During that operation, 850 fugitives surrendered at Cleveland’s Mount Sinai Baptist Church – more than 13 times the number arrested in the three-day sweep conducted soon after the surrender period ended. As a result of this successful effort, Marshals Service Director John F. Clark adopted the Fugitive Safe Surrender concept as a national program. Since then, highly successful FSS operations have taken place in Phoenix, Arizona, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Akron, Ohio. In all, approximately 3,800 individuals have surrendered during the four operations.

The Nashville program has the full support of Metro Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, and District Attorney General Torry Johnson. Also on board is United States Attorney Craig Morford, who recently was named as the incoming Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

“After hearing of the success of Fugitive Safe Surrender from Marshal Elliott, I knew of no reason that it couldn’t work here,” said Marshal King. “I brought the concept to Chief Serpas and District Attorney Johnson, who both quickly endorsed it. Nashville has put its program together quicker than any other city thus far.”

Fugitive Safe Surrender has no religious requirement, and it has wide appeal within the law enforcement community. “Persons on the run because of a criminal warrant in Nashville have put themselves and their loved ones in danger,” said Chief Serpas. “This program affords offenders an excellent opportunity in a neutral setting to take care of business and get back on the right path.”

The program does not grant amnesty and those who surrender are held accountable for their crimes. “My office will closely examine the case of each individual who surrenders and look at favorable consideration,” explained General Johnson.

Fugitive Safe Surrender was authorized by Congress as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President Bush on July 27, 2006. More than two dozen other cities are under consideration for their own Fugitive Safe Surrender operations in the coming months and years. Calling the program “a powerful new initiative,” on May 15, 2007, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales authorized the USMS to conduct at least three Fugitive Safe Surrender operations this calendar year as part of a consolidated Department of Justice effort to combat violent crime.

Participating partners in the Nashville Fugitive Safe Surrender operation are the United States Marshals Service for the Middle District of Tennessee, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Davidson County Public Defender’s Office, the Davidson County General Sessions Court and Criminal Court, and the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.