Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) - Arizona's Most Wanted Fugitives
On May 12, 2008, Governor Janet Napolitano directed the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) to develop a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional statewide plan to identify and arrest individuals with outstanding felony warrants. In response, DPS has created VCAT – the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team.
After VCAT was formed on May 23, 2008, two DPS squads immediately began serving arrest warrants primarily in Maricopa and Pinal County. Several of these arrest warrants were for violent criminals from other state’s who were residing in Maricopa County.
As of August 2008, there were approximately 58,000 fugitive warrants statewide with the majority of the warrants in Maricopa County.
VCAT will work with its 24 partners in law enforcement statewide through an arrangement that will involve shared intelligence and intelligence gathering as well as analysts and investigative resources. The benefit of a joint partnership will cut down on duplication as law enforcement agencies throughout the state work within VCAT to identify violent fugitives and move forward to make arrests thereby making their communities safer.
“These 24 participating law enforcement agencies are demonstrating their commitment to sharing resources to get the job done,” said Governor Janet Napolitano. “This kind of cooperation will allow us to take the most violent offenders with felony warrants off the streets. It’s a smart way to approach the problem.”
“Arresting the most violent fugitives is a major priority of Governor Napolitano and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. We thank all the partner agencies statewide. They stand ready to assist us as we track down these criminals and get them off the streets so communities throughout Arizona will be safer,” said Roger Vanderpool, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
