BILLINGS — The U.S. Marshals Service celebrated the Montana Violent Offender Task Force's 20th anniversary on Thursday.
In a press conference at the James F. Battin Federal Courthouse, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich and U.S. Marshal Craig Anderson, along with other public service officers, discussed the force’s 20-year history and accomplishments. Three charter members of the force were awarded with a commemorative patch: the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, Billings Police Department, and Montana Probation and Parole.
“You're the brave souls. You do it every day, multiple times a day," said Laslovich during the press conference. "You come from all different backgrounds, political persuasions, religious beliefs, and experiences, but you share one core value, and that's duty. Duty to keep people safe, duty to the rule of law, duty to country.”
The task force was established in 2005 by former U.S. Marshall Dwight MacKay, who said at the time task forces were not common, but he wanted to create one to help catch violent offenders. Under the Presidential Threat Protection Act, the Marshals Service created one for Montana.
"During that appropriation season, there were three violent crime fugitive task forces given in America: one in Chicago, one in New York City, and one in the great city of Billings, Montana," said MacKay.
In its 20 years of service, a total of 22,520 arrest warrants were made, along with confiscations of 531 weapons, 93 pounds of drugs, 21,483 fentanyl pills, 91 vehicles, and $61,000 in counterfeit currency.
“With the 22,520 warrants that were closed. That's three per day that were closed every day. Three people arrested. A thousand per year, specifically 1,126 people," said Laslovich. "It's astounding that there are that many people that we are having to chase down and arrest because they are not just fleeing from a parking ticket or a traffic ticket of some sort, they're dangerous and violent fugitives who are seeking to avoid accountability.”
Thirty-eight partner law enforcement agencies make up the task force, including federal, state, local and tribal.
