Wanted on Warrants: The Fugitive Safe Surrender Program

6. Profiles in Action

53 Profiles in Action 6 This section of the book provides what I call a “Profile in Action” for each FSS city. This profile highlights some of the key characteristics of who surrendered at FSS. For many of the cities, the profile includes a description of what happened there, stories or lessons learned (based on my observations and experiences), and media quotes of participants and partners that highlight what Fugitive Safe Surrender is all about. Cleveland, Ohio, 2005 Nobody knew if anybody would show up. Why would they? Fugitives don’t turn themselves in very often. They don’t trust the police. If they are stopped on the street for even minor offenses, they expect to be locked up while they wait for their case to be heard. The Reverend C. J. Mathews of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church on the East Side of Cleveland volunteered his church for the first Fugitive Safe Surrender program. Douglas Weiner, former chief of the criminal division of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office (metropolitan Cleveland) helped organize the event, and he served as main project coordinator for the next eight cities. From the pulpit and in the streets, Rev. Mathews encouraged people with outstanding warrants for nonviolent crimes to turn themselves in at the church and to get their cases resolved in hopes that they might get some favorable consideration when their consequences were doled out. There were some community service announcements and some local media coverage occurred during the days FSS was being implemented. In particular, Clear Channel Communications provided billboards in targeted communities in Cleveland, and the local NBC affiliate, Channel 3, aired public service announcements, had camera crews on site at 54 WANTED ON WARRANTS the church, and ran daily spots and stories. Volunteers handed out about 3,000 flyers in the neighborhoods, and placed large banners advertising the program in the county and federal courthouses. More than 2,000 mailers explaining the program were sent to the last known addresses of individuals with outstanding warrants (although many of those were returned as undeliverable). A large group consisting of representatives from the justice system, law enforcement , the faith community, and media got together to plan the inaugural Fugitive Safe Surrender program. They spent over a year planning the first event. It was scheduled and canceled several times before it was finally set to go in August 2005. Over the course of four days, more than 800 individuals showed up at the church, a third of them wanted on felonies including rape, robbery, assault, and drug charges. There was one judge on site to hear cases. There were no computer systems set up to check warrants. There were no wristbands, no clipboard sign-in sheets, and no surveys to fill out. There were no social service agencies and no Bureau of Motor Vehicles. There were deputy marshals and local police officers. There were volunteers helping out, but nobody had a Fugitive Safe Surrender T-shirt, there was no formal training for staff, and there were no previous program sites to learn from their experiences. The first Fugitive Safe Surrender program in Cleveland, Ohio, was really done on a wing and a prayer. Rev. Mathews noted that his involvement in the FSS program was not driven by a desire to proselytize but by a sense of wanting to help his community. “We don’t believe we have to make people believe in our God to serve them. We offered our care, we offered our facilities, and we offered our compassion.” Mathews noted that fugitives who turned themselves in were looking for a chance to get right with the law, not for a religious experience. “Although, if a person came in and they were adjudicated and let go,” he joked, “I think they probably were thanking God.”13 Phoenix, arizona I saw and overheard the following interaction in Phoenix, the next city where we implementedFSS,which illustrated forme the essence ofwhat FSS wasallabout. A middle-aged woman was standing out in the parking lot watching people come and go. She watched some people go into the church and eventually come out. They were jumping and screaming, raising their arms as if they had just won a prize. They actually had smiles on their faces. She approached one young woman as she was getting back into her car: “What happened? Why are you so happy?” she asked. PROFILES IN ACTION • Cleveland, OH • First FSS program • Mt. Sinai Baptist Church • Aug. 3–6, 2005 • Individuals who voluntarily...