In a joint effort of the Circleville Municipal Court Probation Department and the Circleville Police Department, several officers were sworn in today as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals. These are the first of many local officers who will be sworn in with the Marshal’s Service. Working in collaboration with the U.S. Marshal Service, our local officers will be able to assist in apprehension of fugitive offenders. This joint effort further bolsters the willingness of local agencies to collaborate with other departments in the effort to achieve a common goal and have a more robust Alliance of law enforcement agencies working together.
Our officers will be working with S.O.F.A.S.T., Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team. This team’s primary mission is to track down and apprehend fugitives who have absconded from authorities. In addition to searching for wanted persons, the S.O.F.A.S.T. team will also be able to assist Circleville Police with investigations during major incidents, thus providing the benefit of manpower and resources to the citizens of Circleville at no additional cost.
Chief Probation Officer Jason McGowan said, “Our partnership will extend the authority of our officers and provide them resources not available before.” Chief Baer stated “This is a great partnership between all three agencies. We believe this will benefit the citizens of our community by keeping them safer.”
