June 19, 2006

LANSING – State and local law enforcement officers continued Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s commitment to protecting Michigan’s children and families by participating in Project S.A.F.E. (Statewide Apprehension of Fugitives Effort) Street, which is an ongoing effort to arrest violent parole absconders.

The most recent sweep took criminals convicted of criminal sexual conduct; armed robbery; home invasion; breaking and entering; receiving and concealing stolen property; impaired driving and numerous drug offenses who had broken the terms of their parole off the street.

The sweep, conducted June 6 - 8, resulted in 227 arrests of which 132 arrests were for parole violators, 11 were parole absconders and four were probation violators. A previous sweep conducted March 7 - 9, resulted in 214 arrests, of which 125 were parole violators, 39 were parole absconders and six were probation violators.

“Our message has been and continues to be clear: violent probationers and parolees who do no meet their responsibilities will not be allowed to threaten the safety of our children, our families or our communities,” said Granholm.

Project S.A.F.E. Street is a joint effort among the Michigan State Police (MSP), the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and local and federal law enforcement to arrest violent offenders known to be in violation of parole and who pose a threat to public safety.

 “Whether we are picking these violators up during routine traffic stops or as part of the daily arrests our fugitive teams make, or during a coordinated statewide sweep like Project S.A.F.E. Street, the bottom line is we are arresting those individuals who choose to break the law by violating their parole,” said Col. Peter C. Munoz, MSP Director. “Law enforcement will not stop until these offenders are no longer a threat to our communities.”

The MSP and MDOC organized the June sweep with assistance from 17 county sheriff’s departments, 32 local police departments, one federal agency and three out of state agencies. A total of 2,099 fugitives have been arrested since Project S.A.F.E. Street began in March 2003.

“Participating in these sweeps is a perfect example of what law enforcement agencies can do by cooperating with each other,” said MDOC Director Patricia L. Caruso. “Our neighborhoods and citizens are safer as a result of all of our efforts.”

Arrests were made in 37 Michigan counties, including 73 arrests that occurred in Wayne County.

Read more news releases from the Michigan State Police.