AST Digital Magazine October 2017 Digital-Oct | Page 18

Volume 17
From George Washington to 9/11 and Beyond
President George Washington established the
Marshals Service in 1789 as the Federal Court
system’s enforcement arm.
October 2017 Edition
curing and transporting prisoners as they moved
their way through the system.
This radically changed after the tragic Septem-
ber 11th terrorist attacks, as Congress decided it
needed to deploy stronger and more coordinat-
ed intelligence and law enforcement resources
to tackle both terrorist and conventional criminal
threats.
Following the establishment of the New York
and New Jersey (NY/NJ) Regional Fugitive Task
Force (RFTF) in May 2002, the Marshals Service
has taken on a greatly expanded role in bring-
ing the “worst of the worst” fugitives to justice,
including murderers, rapists and violent repeat
offenders.
Wild Bill Hickok (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
However, it wasn’t until the time of the Old West
that the exploits of legendary Marshals such as
Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson,
Bass Reeves, and others brought the Marshals
to widespread public renown.
Over time, following the establishment of other
federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI), the Marshals Service gener-
ally settled into policing the Federal Courts by se-
When the NY/NJ RFTF was created it was staffed
by twenty-five investigators from ten different law
enforcement agencies.
It has since grown to 380 investigators drawn
from ninety-two different federal, state, and lo-
cal law enforcement agencies who track down
and arrest more than one-hundred fugitives per
week.
Other RFTFs have also been created around
the country over the past fifteen years, and they
have been equally as productive.
Firefighters make their way through the rub-
ble after two airliners crashed into the World
Trade Center in New York bringing down the
landmark buildings Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.
(Photo Credit: Shawn Baldwin, AP)
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