CBI News: Western Colorado Fugitive Task Force Becomes Operational

In a coordinated effort to apprehend 2,226 felony fugitives currently wanted in western Colorado, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has convened a task force of 45 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies with jurisdictional authority in 13 western Colorado counties, CBI Director Ronald C. Sloan has announced.

“This is the first time law enforcement agencies have joined together on the western slope to coordinate efforts to apprehend 2,226 fugitives wanted on felony charges and 15,305 fugitives wanted on misdemeanor charges in the western region,” Director Sloan said. “These agencies will be working together to prevent subjects wanted on both felony and misdemeanor warrants from evading justice by moving from community to community,” he explained.

“CBI’s role will be to provide a central location for information on the whereabouts of thousands of fugitives to be collected and distributed to our partners,” said CBI-Grand Junction Assistant Director Dave Linnertz. “We have agreed to assist all partner law enforcement agencies in coordinating their apprehension efforts. Working together, we plan to find the sex offenders, the predators and other criminals wherever they are hiding in western Colorado.”

Participating agencies include 45 western Colorado sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, U.S. Marshals; agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Colorado Department of Corrections; and local district attorneys.