Wayne County fugitive task force aims to reduce crime in Metro Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) — The Fugitive Apprehension Services Team (FAST) is a task force of Detroit police officers and Wayne County Sheriff's deputies.
The team had a record-setting year in 2024, arresting nearly 1,040 individuals with outstanding felony warrants. It's the most arrests made by the unit since it formed in 2019.
On Wednesday, CBS News Detroit joined task force members for a ride-along to understand the team's day-to-day operations.
The FAST team gathers for an early morning briefing before heading out the door and their first arrest of the day. Each officer is given five to eight persons of interest to look out for.
Along for the ride on Wednesday was Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
"You don't always find a bunch of guys that really smile, excited to go out and work and work with each other. So, I think that has a lot to do with this success," Evans said.
While we drove to the first location, the team conducted surveillance and checked for any signs of life at the home.
"We have analysts that crunch up data, you know, so we're not out here wasting our time and driving around and, you know, trying to find these guys," said Lt. Bilal Othman.
Othman says every officer gets five to eight persons of interest to look out for.
The first stop was unsuccessful due to the suspect, who was wanted for felony firearm possession, not being home. During the second, stop, police arrested a man wanted for carrying a concealed weapon in Detroit.
"Last year, homicides and fatal shootings, non-fatal shootings, had gone down significantly. And based on the mayor and I working together as long as we have, we knew that was just going to be the start. You know, our goal was to be last year's record," Evans said.
Next, we drove to a home in Warren, where police looked for a suspect wanted for felony firearm possession. The team used a loudspeaker to get the person's attention. When police thought it was time to get a warrant, the suspect tried to run out the back door. But the task force surrounded the home and quickly arrested the suspect.
"It's not about arresting everybody, but for those who choose to continue a life of gun violence or use guns to resolve disputes, this team is so capable, qualified, and trained that they're going to get going to get them and they do they always get their person," said Brian Rinehart, chief of staff for the Wayne County Executive's office Rinehart said.