[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE 220TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES MARSHALS 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE COFFMAN

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 17, 2009

  Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today to 
commemorate the 220th Anniversary of the United States Marshals Service 
on September 24, 2009. The U.S. Marshals Service is our Nation's oldest 
and most versatile federal law enforcement agency. Since its national 
inception in 1789, the U.S. Marshals Service has served a unique place 
in America's history.
  The first U.S. marshal in the Colorado Territory was appointed by 
President Lincoln and began his service on March 25, 1861. On August 1, 
1876, Colorado became the 38th State, which created the Judicial 
District of Colorado. U.S. marshals and their deputies have served the 
District of Colorado since with great valor and courage. With their 
broad statutory law enforcement authority granted by the Judiciary Act 
of 1789, U.S. marshals and their deputies distributed presidential 
proclamations, tamed the American West, registered enemy aliens in time 
of war, helped conduct the national census, protected the President, 
and served on the front lines of the civil rights movement. More 
recently, deputy U.S. marshals have been called by Presidential orders 
and have served valiantly during national emergencies--large-scale 
natural disasters, hurricanes and to the terrorist attacks of September 
11, 2001.
  Today the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service, District of 
Colorado, maintain their core mission to serve and protect our Federal 
courts. They ensure the safe conduct of judicial proceedings and 
protect Federal judges, jurors, and other members of the Federal 
judiciary. They provide for the safety and security of protected 
witnesses through the Witness Security Division. The U.S. Marshals 
Service also provides for the safe and secure transportation of federal 
inmates for federal court proceedings and to and from correctional 
facilities. Additionally, the U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for 
managing nearly 1.7 billion dollars worth of seized property illegally 
acquired through criminal means by maintaining and promptly disposing 
of assets through its Asset Forfeiture Program.
  Most notably, the U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government's 
primary agency for conducting fugitive investigations. The men and 
women of the Marshals Service apprehend more federal fugitives than all 
other federal agencies combined. Working with law enforcement agencies 
at the federal, state and local levels, Marshals-led task forces 
arrested an additional 73,000 state and local fugitives, clearing 
90,600 state and local felony warrants. The Marshals currently leads 82 
district fugitive task forces and seven regional fugitive task forces 
dedicated to locating and apprehending wanted criminals. The U.S. 
Marshals Service has developed close working relationships with other 
law enforcement agencies on fugitive matters, and provides assistance, 
expertise and training to agencies on the federal, state, local and 
international levels. The U.S. Marshals Service is the premier agency 
to apprehend foreign fugitives believed to be in the United States, and 
it is the agency responsible for locating and extraditing American 
fugitives who flee to foreign countries.
  In closing, Madam Speaker, I would therefore submit that we 
congratulate the U.S. Marshals Service on their 220th Anniversary for 
their past and present accomplishments, and that those men and women we 
recognize wear ``America's Star'' nationally in their selfless 
dedication to Justice, Integrity and Service.

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