U.S. Marshals: Inside America's Most Storied Law Enforcement Agency - Paperback

by Mike Earp (Author), David Fisher (Author)

Blending history and memoir, retired U.S. Marshal Mike Earp--a descendant of the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp--offers an exclusive and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the most storied law enforcement agency in America, illuminating its vital role in the nation's development for more than two hundred years.

Mike Earp spent his career with the U.S. Marshals Service, reaching the number three position in the organization's hierarchy before he retired. In this fascinating, eye-opening book, written with the service's full cooperation, he shares his experiences and takes us on a fascinating tour of this extraordinary organization--the oldest, the most effective, and the most dangerous branch of American law enforcement, and the least known.

Unlike their counterparts in the police and the FBI, U.S. Marshals aren't responsible for investigating or prosecuting crimes. They pursue and arrest the most dangerous criminal offenders on U.S. soil, an extraordinarily hazardous job often involving gun battles and physical altercations. Earp takes us back to the service's early days, explaining its creation and its role in the border wars that helped make continental expansion possible. He brings to life the gunslingers and gunfights that have made the Marshals legend, and explores the service's role today integrating federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the hunt for the most notorious criminals--terrorists, drug lords, gun runners.

Setting his own experiences within the long history of the U.S. Marshals service, Earp offers a moving and illuminating tribute to the brave marshals who have dedicated their lives to keeping the nation safe.

How did a little-known agency become America's elite fugitive hunters?

• Behind-the-Scenes Access: Go inside the closed doors of America's most storied and least-known law enforcement agency, with stories told with the Service's full cooperation.
• A Legendary Lineage: Learn from Mike Earp, a top-ranking Marshal who continues the legacy of his legendary ancestor, Wyatt Earp, in the modern era.
• From the Old West to Today: Follow the gripping evolution from the gunslingers and gunfights of the frontier to the high-tech manhunts for today's most violent offenders.
• The Rise of the Manhunters: Discover how specialized units and inter-agency cooperation transformed the Marshals into the world's most effective fugitive-apprehension force.

Back Jacket

123,006 Fugitives

That's the number of wanted men and women, each with an average of four felony convictions to their name, the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down and arrested in 2012. Of that figure, 3,962 were charged with murder, most are violent career criminals, all were on the run from authorities. If you are a fugitive in America, your worst nightmare is a deputy U.S. marshal on your trail: each year the Marshals Service takes more criminals off the street than every other federal law enforcement agency--combined.

From Mike Earp, the former associate director of operations, and New York Times bestselling author David Fisher, this is the thrilling inside story of today's U.S. marshals, told in their own words. Based on interviews with more than fifty current and former deputies, as well as Earp's personal case notes, here are their greatest cases, hairiest arrests, and most unforgettable moments, all revealed for the first time.