The U.S. Marshals Service celebrated its 225th anniversary Wednesday.
On Aug. 6, Gov. Rick Scott declared Sept. 24 Florida’s U.S. Marshals Day.
Created by the 1789 Judiciary Act when George Washington appointed its first 13 agents, the U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency.
“The agency’s task forces, technology and investigative expertise have made the idea of fugitives escaping justice nearly impossible,” U.S. Marshal Ed Spooner of the Northern District of Florida said in a press release.
The U.S. Marshals is now made of 5,400 deputies and civil servants. In the 1960s, the service enforced court orders related to civil rights and the South’s desegregation.
Last year, task force members in Gainesville, Tallahassee, Panama City and Pensacola were responsible for clearing 1,264 warrants, including 47 arrests for homicide, 95 for robbery and 188 for sex offenses.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Bryon Carroll encouraged UF students who are interested in law enforcement careers to look more into the agency.
“When I was a UF student, the rich history of the Marshals Service was one of the things that attracted me to the agency,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 9/25/2014 under the headline "Marshals celebrates 225 years"]
