Federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in Michigan have teamed up in an effort to capture suspects alleged to have committed some of the most serious sex offenses on the books.
The initial targets of Operation Survivor Justice are about 800 suspects with outstanding arrest warrants who jumped bail and have never faced trial for their alleged crimes. Funding from the state will help local law enforcement track down suspects who may be living in other states or other countries and file extradition requests when necessary. The U.S. Marshals Service will help track down and arrest the suspects, which would be a major cost savings for counties over hiring a private contractor.
The costs and personnel time are significant enough that smaller jurisdictions, in particular, cannot manage it without diverting money from other critical needs. The first tranche of funding comes from a $1 million appropriation in the new state budget.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the focus is on major sex crimes because of the impact on victims.
“Their perpetrator is known and yet has fled and it’s just so hard for these people to move on and to get any kind of closure at all,” she said. “It is not the case with every sex offender, but I will say it is true with many, that for those who go without accountability, they are often likely to have more victims.”
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Getting, who is also president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, said some of the cases date back 40 years.
“Those are real people who have been victims of horrific crimes who now do have a greater hope, a hope for justice, and a knowledge that there will be accountability and consequence for those persons that hurt them,” he said.
The money is not to reopen investigations or solve cold cases. Nessel said these are cases that would be ready to go to trial if and when the suspects are apprehended.
