U.S. Marshals SWIFT Task Force Grows

Albuquerque, NM – On August 3, 2016 six (6) Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Deputies were sworn in as Special Deputy United States Marshals and Task Force Officers (TFO) with the United States Marshals Service South West Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) Task Force. The Deputies are part of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registration Team (SORT). They will be joining many law enforcement officials from throughout New Mexico actively participating in the SWIFT Task Force. “These newly deputized U.S. Marshals will work with investigators assigned to sex offender investigations. This will greatly increase our resources as a task force in order to enhance the public safety for all communities in New Mexico, and purse dangerous sex offenders who seek to hide out in NM or have fled to other parts of the country contrary to the law.” commented U.S. Marshal Conrad E. Candelaria. The addition of these new task force officers reinforces the commitment of the U.S. Marshals Service in New Mexico to pursuing and apprehending dangerous criminals. U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico Conrad E. Candelaria administered the Oath of Office for the Special Deputy United States Marshals.

The South West Investigative Fugitive Team (SWIFT) Task force is comprised of 55 law enforcement agencies from local, county, state, tribal and federal agencies for the specific purpose of pursuing and arresting dangerous, violent, career fugitives so that each can be brought to justice for crimes allegedly committed.

In 2015 the Marshal’s task force arrested a total of 1,367 fugitives; encompassed in those arrests were 52 homicide related arrests in 2015 alone. Since its inception in 2002, SWIFT has arrested 17,434 fugitives. Nationally the USMS and its 60 task forces arrested a total of 99,756 federal, state, and local fugitives in 2015. USMS Task Forces focus efforts on offenders with extensive criminal history, violent charges, gang offenders, and fugitives of local or national significance in an effort to reduce violence.