UPDATED: Thursday, July 9, 2009 --- 8:35 p.m.
REPORTER: Chris Woodard

A massive nationwide effort to track down fugitives takes aim at Southern Wisconsin.

Because of cooperation between dozens of local and national agencies some of our areas most wanted criminals are behind bars tonight.

One by one they gather. Different departments, different jobs, the same goal.

U.S. Marshals call the effort Operation Falcon. It is a nationwide hunt to help local departments pick up fugitives they've been after for weeks, sometimes years.

Janesville Police Sargent Jim Holford helped with the operation. He says, "With our local knowledge and the federal resources I was very optimistic that we were going to make multiple apprehensions which we were able to do."

In Dane, Rock and Columbia counties 86 arrests were made and 211 warrants served.

In Janesville they volunteered some of their officers for 5 straight days at 8 hours a day and it paid big rewards.

Among the 12 to 15 fugitives they arrested was Quincy Hevel who was wanted on 18 outstanding warrants including weapons violations, heroin crimes and bail jumping.

Police wanted Hevel so bad they had plastered his picture on billboards across the city. But when he fled the area they needed help and got it from U.S. Marshals.

Holford says, "It's always nice to get someone picked up and hold them accountable for their actions and also to prevent any future victims."

The operation also helped nab Franciso Vazquez-Vera who had been on the run for three years after a stabbing murder in Lake Delton.

After three *Madison shootings Marshals helped Madison police get Stevie Triplett behind bars.

U.S. Marshal Steve Fitzgerald says, "They realize the value of getting these people off the street and they realize the extra resources we have that we give them is going to make their job easier."

Helping hands where they're needed most, putting wanted fugitives where they belong.

The biggest advantage for local departments is their officers get sworn is as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals for the operation which gives them the authority to cross over into other jurisdictions without stopping their searches.

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Posted Thursday, July 9, 2009 --- 11:50 a.m.

Press Release from U.S. Marshal:

Madison, WI – Following a five-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON – Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally. Led by the U.S. Marshals, Operation FALCON 2009 netted 86 arrests within the Western District of Wisconsin in June.

Operation FALCON – Madison combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies in one of the area’s largest-ever fugitive initiatives, focusing on capturing individuals wanted on felony charges including sexual predators and fugitives wanted for crimes of violence. Over the course of the 5-day operation, Deputy U.S. Marshals, teamed with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, arrested 86 fugitives in Dane, Rock and Columbia counties and cleared 211 warrants. Among the 211 warrants cleared, 4 sex offenders, 7 individuals with weapons charges and 11 child/domestic crime offenders were arrested.

Some of the highlighted arrests include, Franciso J. VAZQUEZ-VERA who was arrested Monday, June 22 after being on the run for 3 years. VAZQUEZ-VERA is charged with Attempted 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide, stemming from an incident in the village of Lake Delton where he allegedly pepper sprayed and stabbed a victim.

On Thursday, June 25, Quincy HEVEL was arrested in Janesville. HEVEL is featured on billboards in the Janesville area due to the numerous warrants against him. HEVEL’s 18 outstanding warrants include criminal damage, bail jumping, weapons offense, and heroin. Numerous community tips led to his arrest.

Stevie TRIPLETT, the suspect who is allegedly responsible for the shooting on Hammersly Road in Madison on Fathers Day was arrested on Tuesday, June 23. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, and Madison Police Department all participated in this investigation. TRIPLETT, known by his street name as “Soul” or “Shawn-Don” is also suspected as being the shooter in 2 other cases as well. The .45 caliber that was used in the shooting on Fathers Day was recovered at the residence where TRIPLETT was arrested.

According to U.S. Marshal Steve Fitzgerald, one of the positive aspects of Operation Falcon is the cooperation between all of the different law enforcement agencies working for one common goal; to make our community safer. Today, the challenges in law enforcement can be overwhelming and all of us working together in Operation Falcon will make our communities in Wisconsin a safer place to live.

Operation FALCON – Madison consisted of approximately 50 federal, state and local law enforcement officers, making up seven separate arrest teams working throughout the operation. Each participating local officer was sworn in as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal immediately prior to the start of this operation. This special authority empowers them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives throughout the operation.

“The goal of Operation FALCON is simple – to make communities safer,” said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. “Each time we wrap up a FALCON operation in any location, there are less dangerous individuals – and fewer threats to the community – than before we arrived there. That is very gratifying.”

Agencies contributing to Operation FALCON – Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Baraboo Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (BICE), Columbia County Sheriffs Office, Dane County Sheriffs Office, Fitchburg Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Janesville Police Department, Madison Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Oregon Police Department, Rock County Sheriffs Office, Sauk County Sheriffs Office, Sun Prairie Police Department, Town of Madison Police Department, Verona Police Department, Waunakee Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Wisconsin Department of Justice, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made 91,086 arrests and cleared 117,874 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.