AURORA | Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies and deputy U.S. Marshals announced the round-up of dozens of fugitive sex offenders on Wednesday, part of a multi-agency effort dubbed Operation Colorado Cleanup.
Between March and June, the agencies and officers from Colorado’s Violent Offender Task Force compiled 79 arrest warrants for convicted sex offenders who had failed to register with law enforcement, according to a news release.
Officers arrested, located or otherwise cleared the warrants of 38 fugitives. While 26 others were determined to be likely living outside of Colorado, their warrants do not provide for extradition. Another 15 are believed to be transient or homeless and could not be found.
U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor said in the release that the agency hopes to partner with other counties across the state to track down more sex offenders who have fallen off law enforcement’s radar.
“I wanted to help our local law enforcement with fugitive apprehension, knowing and understanding the challenges of limited manpower,” Taylor said. “We hope to continue and assist other jurisdictions to clean up the rolls of outstanding sex offender warrants to benefit the safety and security of our local communities.”
Arapahoe County sheriff Tyler Brown also said the county looks forward to deeper collaborations with federal agencies.
“The cooperation between local and federal agencies during Operation Colorado Cleanup has helped improve the citizens of Arapahoe County’s quality of life,” he said.