by Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post
Fifteen local law enforcement officers were deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service Wednesday as efforts are made to address violent crime in the area.
Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office Drug Strike Force Captain Shawn Collie says the special deputation was the final step in joining with the U.S. Marshals Service to create a violent fugitive task force.
“Police officers and deputies or investigators and detectives (took) the oath as a special deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, giving local law enforcement, basically, federal arrest authority for fugitives,” Collie says.
Making the partnership official will also provide federal funding for local law enforcement.
“When we have individuals coming from outside the area to St. Joe with different warrants that we can go look for, the Marshals Service provides different funding for overtime, equipment, training, so it’s a huge plus that’s not a burden on the taxpayers of Buchanan County,” Collie says. “With that… people that commit crimes within our area and then they flee from the area, it allows us that working relationship with the Marshals Service who has people throughout the United States…and one phone call and (we'll) be able to work on getting that person into custody.”
An example of the collaboration between local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service was evident recently when the Marshals Service was instrumental in apprehending Te'avion Hawkins in the St. Louis area last week. Acting St. Joseph Chief of Police Eric Protzman says Hawkins was arrested in Overland, Missouri, for a shooting in St. Joseph at 30th and Lafayette on August 9th.
“There’s information out on the street that he could be related to some of the other shootings that we’ve had, so we’ve been investigating those,” Protzman says. “There’s been a lot of comments out in the community that he may have been involved in the homicide of that young two-year-old girl. We’re still looking into that information… we can’t confirm whether he was involved in that yet or not.”
Hawkins was transported across the state and is currently in custody in Buchanan County.
“We’ve worked with the marshals many times in the past," Protzman says. "And this (partnership) will enhance our capabilities to get violent criminals off the street when we need to and have the assistance and that cooperation that is so dearly needed in our community, especially with recent tragedies that we’ve had."