FIST by a K.O.

The feds reel in the fugitives

It was a gorgeous scam, simple in design, swift in execution. It worked like a dream, 65 times in ten weeks. The setup: a fugitive from justice in the Los Angeles area receives notice at his last known address that a package containing $2,000 worth of unspecified goods is waiting for him at FIST Bonded Delivery Courier Service. Curiosity piqued and greed aroused, he calls the number on the notice to arrange delivery. The number he dials happens to be a Marine barracks in Pico Rivera in Los Angeles County. The person he speaks with is working for the U.S. Marshals Service.

The sting: a Ford van with a FIST Bonded Deli very Courier Service sign on its side arrives at the target's address. A maroon-shirted driver comes to his door and asks him to step outside to sign a receipt for the package. The moment the fugitive signs, confirming his identity, two teams of officers spring out of cars and collar their quarry. The scheme so surprised many of the arrestees that they could not immediately put two and two together. "Hey, that guy had a package for me!" screamed one of them as officers affixed the handcuffs while the truck sped off. Declared another: "You didn't have to be so mean, that truck was delivering me a package."

The delivery scam was part of an intensive man hunt that has swept California during the past 2 1/2 months. Conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service and local law-enforcement officers, FIST (Fugitive Investigative Strike Team) netted 2,116 arrests. Most of the captured felons were being sought for violent crimes, and on the average each had five felony counts on his record. The criminals included 24 accused or convicted murderers, 39 rapists, 13 kidnapers and 272 robbers. Said Marshals Director Stanley Morris of FIST: "I cannot think of any more successful operation in such a time span."

According to Morris, 210,000 fugitive felony warrants are outstanding in the U.S. While crime rates in general may have dropped slightly, the number of fugitives has increased 17% in the past two years. Financial constraints, jurisdictional restrictions and limited manpower can prevent local law officers from actively pursuing fugitives. Police must concentrate on fresh crimes, the bank robbery or murder that has just been committed.

The California man hunt was a special project, Involving 120 investigators, half from the Marshals Service and half from local police agencies. The 60 two-member teams.were freed from day-today duties. Morris described much of their assignment as "plain old beating-the-streets police work." He attributes the lack of interagency bickering to the fact that the officers were tracking the habitual criminals who give the police and the public the most trouble.

The FIST operation was also cost effective. The Federal Government paid $1.7 million for the program, or about $800 per fugitive captured. Most of that expense might be made up by the arrest in Sonoma County of accused Drug Trafficker Rexford Andrew Ramsey, 42. Agents confiscated his Sonoma ranch, valued at $1.5 million, two properties in Miami, three Formula One race cars and $500,000 in cash. If Ramsey is convicted, the Marshals Service auctions off the booty and hangs on to the proceeds.