(WASHINGTON) — Last Oct. 16, one man was shot and killed and another was wounded at a home in Hardeman County, Tennessee.
Ten days later, the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force hunted down and caught the suspects hundreds of miles apart, both wanted for murder.
Thomas Bishop Jr., 27, was located in Chicago by officers, and two hours after that, his father, Thomas Bishop, was apprehended in Jackson, Tennessee.
The two arrests were some of the more than 6,000 murder suspects apprehended on the run by the U.S. Marshals Service in 2021, according to year-end statistics the Justice Department released on Monday.
At the time, officials pointed to the coordination of the arrests as a “great example” of what the agency can accomplish.
“The U.S. Marshals Services prides itself on finding fugitives on the run,” U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee Tyreece Miller said in a press release.
In total, officers apprehended 84,000 fugitives, an average of 337 fugitives per day, on days when the agency is conducting operations, the DOJ said.
Of those arrested, 27,399 were wanted on federal warrants and 56,848 were arrested on state and local warrants, the department said.
Statistics for years past were not immediately available.
The U.S. Marshals Service’ primary responsibility is to work with state and local partners to find criminal suspects and arrest them.
It also is tasked with securing federal courtrooms and providing security for federal judges,
In June, the DOJ inspector general found the agency lacks the resources needed to ensure the safety and security of federal judges and other people its meant to protect.
There are 56 fugitive task forces around the country, compromised of U.S. Marshals, state and local law enforcement.
“At a time of unprecedented challenges posed by a global pandemic, the U.S. Marshals continue to deliver on their mission, tracking down and arresting more than 84,000 fugitives. The Department of Justice, through our law enforcement components like the U.S. Marshals Service, will continue to prioritize our efforts to reduce violent crime and keep our neighborhoods safe,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in a press release.
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