Seven local and federal law enforcement agencies collaborated this month to arrest 35 suspects on outstanding felony warrants in Operation Coastal Flood.
County Executive William Fallon said he learned Glynn County had a number of outstanding warrants that needed to be served. Having worked over 20 years with the US Marshals Service, he has seen marshals round up 19,000 offenders in a month.
“I knew what the Marshals Service was capable of and could do,” he said.
Help was sought from Jim Joiner, head of the US Fugitives Task Force in Atlanta.
More than 600 felony warrants have been identified that name suspects in violent crimes, including gang violence, aggravated assault, sexual assault and violent crimes against people, Fallon said.
At least one suspect has been arrested on a murder warrant.
A review narrowed the 600 warrants down to 63 offenders targeted for arrest on suspicion of being responsible for much violence in the region, he said.
The marshals department brought in 25 people, held training, and then swore in local police as deputy marshals for the week of the roundup, Fallon said.
Beginning at 4:30 a.m. Sept. 14, the Southeast U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force, Glynn County and Brunswick Police, Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District, the United States Attorney and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives rounded up 30 defendants in three days.
Glynn County Police Chief Jacques Battiste said work is continuing and five arrests were made in Florida as of Monday.
“This operation was the epitome of law enforcement cooperation,” said David Lyons, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Georgia. “State, local and federal agencies are working together with a common goal of making Glynn County safer for residents.”
Battiste added, “We intend to make this an ongoing effort where warranted to ensure the streets of Glynn County and our surrounding areas remain safe for our residents and visitors.”
Battiste said the Glynn County Fire Department played a role in the arrests.
Sheriff Neal Jump praised his detention officers for volunteering their time at a time when the sheriff’s office is severely understaffed. At the end of their shifts, some stayed on to continue processing those arrested and putting them in jail.
“They could have been home with their families,” he said.
In a written statement, Brunswick Police Chief Kevin Jones said his department will continue to work with law enforcement partners to work to keep the community safe.
“Multi-agency cooperation gives us the ability to share resources to achieve a common goal,” Jones said.
