[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE (for himself, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Kyl, and Mr. 
        McCain):
  S. 2570. A bill to authorize funds for the United States Marshals 
Service's Fugitive Safe Surrender Program; to the Committee on the 
Judiciary.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I join Senators Domenici, KYL, and 
McCain to introduce a bill to support the Fugitive Safe Surrender 
Program, which encourages those with outstanding arrest warrants to 
turn themselves in peacefully. This program--conducted under the 
auspices of the U.S. Marshal Service, with the cooperation of public, 
private, nonprofit and faith-based partners--involves using a local 
church or community center as a temporary courthouse, where fugitives 
can turn themselves in and have their cases adjudicated.
  This is not an amnesty program. Those who surrender are still held 
accountable for the original charges. However, by moving the 
prosecutors, public defenders, and judges to the new location, non-
violent cases can be resolved promptly on-site, in a setting where 
fugitives feel they can safely turn themselves in.
  In a pilot program implemented last August in Cleveland, over 800 
people turned themselves in during a four day period, including 324 who 
had outstanding felony warrants. Almost all the cases were adjudicated 
on the day of the surrender. As means of comparison, the Fugitive Task 
Force conducted a more traditional sweep for three days following the 
implementation of the Fugitive Safe Surrender program, resulting in the 
capture of 65 people with outstanding warrants. Clearly, the Fugitive 
Safe Surrender program was a tremendous success, and I'd like to offer 
my personal congratulations to Pete Elliott, the U.S. Marshal for the 
Northern District of Ohio, and Dr. C. Jay Matthews, the Senior Pastor 
of the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland, for their efforts in 
heading up this successful endeavor. This type of innovation and 
creative thinking is exactly what we need in the law enforcement 
community, and it has obviously paid off in Cleveland.
  The Fugitive Safe Surrender program has exceeded expectations and 
demonstrated its value to the community. The logical next step is for 
the U.S. Marshals to expand their initiative nationwide. They already 
have been working with law enforcement, community, and church groups in 
eight cities that have volunteered to be sites for Fugitive Safe 
Surrender in 2006: Albuquerque, NM; Phoenix, AZ; Washington, DC; 
Louisville, KY; Camden, NJ; Indianapolis, IN; Richmond, VA; and Akron, 
OH. They are hoping to expand to even more cities in 2007 and 2008. 
This expansion is worthy of federal support, and that is why I have 
joined Senators Domenici, Kyl, and McCAIN in sponsoring the Fugitive 
Safe Surrender Act of 2006, which authorizes $3 million for fiscal year 
07, $5 million for fiscal year 08, and $8 million for fiscal year 09. 
These funds will allow the U.S. Marshals Service to coordinate with the 
Fugitive Safe Surrender sites around the country, also providing for 
the cost of establishing secure courtrooms inside of a local church or 
community center.
  This is a good bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2570

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Fugitive Safe Surrender is a program of the United 
     States Marshals Service, in partnership with public, private, 
     and faith-based organizations, which temporarily transforms a 
     church into a courthouse, so fugitives can turn themselves 
     in, in an atmosphere where they feel more comfortable to do 
     so, and have nonviolent cases adjudicated immediately.
       (2) In the 4-day pilot program in Cleveland, Ohio, over 800 
     fugitives turned themselves in. By contrast, a successful 
     Fugitive Task Force sweep, conducted for 3 days after 
     Fugitive Safe Surrender, resulted in the arrest of 65 
     individuals.
       (3) Fugitive Safe Surrender is safer for defendants, law 
     enforcement, and innocent bystanders than needing to conduct 
     a sweep.
       (4) Based upon the success of the pilot program, Fugitive 
     Safe Surrender should be expanded to other cities throughout 
     the United States.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION.

       (a) In General.--The United States Marshals Service shall 
     establish, direct, and coordinate a program (to be known as 
     the ``Fugitive Safe Surrender Program''), under which the 
     United States Marshals Service shall apprehend Federal, 
     State, and local fugitives in a safe, secure, and peaceful 
     manner to be coordinated with law enforcement and community 
     leaders in designated cities throughout the United States.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the United States Marshals Service to 
     carry out this section--
       (1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
       (2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
       (3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
       (c) Other Existing Applicable Law.--Nothing in this section 
     shall be construed to limit any existing authority under any 
     other provision of Federal or State law for law enforcement 
     agencies to locate or apprehend fugitives through task forces 
     or any other means.
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