County Sweeps Eight Fugitives from Streets in State Program

COURT HOUSE — Between July 1 and Sept. 1, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office participated in a statewide “sweep” of high-risk fugitives in which eight local parole absconders were captured. Throughout the state, authorities arrested 1,162 fugitives.
The Summer Warrant Effective Enforcement Program (SWEEP) was a joint effort between the Attorney General’s office, the 21 county Prosecutors, the State Police, the State Parole Board and a task force of federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies.
“We were very happy to work with the Attorney General and the other agencies in this SWEEP program,” said county Prosecutor Robert Taylor. “We are also pleased with the results of the program, with the absconders we were able to arrest.”
The absconders were identified by the state’s Regional Operations Intelligence Center, Taylor said.
Taylor said the SWEEP targeted repeat offenders, who account for account for a significant portion of the serious crimes committed in this county. A state release said the program focuses on summer months because that’s when “violent and property crimes tend to peak.”
Attorney General Paula Dow said the SWEEP objectives were five-fold:
(1) incapacitate ongoing and persistent crime committed by previously convicted criminals
(2) reduce the number of potential crime perpetrators
(3) enhance special deterrence by discouraging parole and probation violations
(4) provide new sources of intelligence, confidential information, and cooperators
(5) utilize intelligence-led policing strategies to supplement local law enforcement resources
“Unless law enforcement agencies dedicate resources to assist in executing outstanding warrants, many parole and probation absconders can ‘hide in plain sight’ in their neighborhood, despite the diligent efforts of the agencies that supervise them,” Dow said in a release. “The continued presence of these delinquent offenders in our communities poses a serious and immediate threat to public safety, depreciates the authority of the criminal justice system, and degrades the quality of life for law abiding citizens.”
“This operation sends a message to communities throughout our state that we are dedicated to and vigilant about public safety and focused on those most likely to commit serious or violent offenses,” added State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes.
Taylor said this newspaper helps capture many of this county’s fugitives that try to hide from law enforcement.
“I would like to thank the Herald for the work they do by publishing the photos and names of persons who are wanted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department in our cooperative program,” Taylor said.
In related news, State Parole Board Chairman James Plousis, a former U.S. Marshal and Cape May County sheriff, has enacted a number of parole absconder reforms including the merger of the State Parole Board’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit with the U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force.
“The U.S. Marshals Task Force now serves as a force multiplier for the State Parole Board, immediately lending its manpower and resources to the investigation, surveillance and apprehension of parole absconders,” said Plousis. “With this partnership, we’re making use of the best resources available, adding extra manpower, surveillance and intelligence with no new costs to our agency. This is a seamless mesh of police resources, and we believe it will help us get parole absconders off the streets more swiftly and more safely.”