Sen. Sherrod Brown seeks renewal of Fugitive Safe Surrender program that began in Cleveland

WASHINGTON, D. C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants to reauthorize a national Fugitive Safe Surrender program that began in Cleveland close to two decades ago.

The program brings together law enforcement and church groups so fugitives wanted on felony warrants can surrender in a safe setting. It began with a collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service in Cleveland and Cleveland’s Mount Sinai church as a way to solve the problem of apprehending fugitives without putting anyone at risk.

When the program was first launched in 2005, Mt. Sinai was transformed into a makeshift courthouse. People turned themselves in and were fingerprinted and processed. They consulted with public defenders and had hearings before judges in the church library. Some were sent to jail, others had charges dropped. Some were given later court dates. When it was over, 842 people voluntarily surrendered.

The program was so successful that it spread to 8 cities the following year, and went national when legislation spearheaded by former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, who is now Ohio’s governor, became part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act that was signed into law in 2006.

Brown, a Cleveland Democrat, on Tuesday joined with North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, to introduce a bill called the Fugitive Safe Surrender Reauthorization Act of 2023 that would renew the program.

“Fugitive Safe Surrender is a national success story that started right here in Ohio. It’s a prime example of how law enforcement officials can work together with community leaders to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” said a statement from Brown. “We need to continue this important program that has broad bipartisan support, has helped protect Ohio families and communities, and has meant that more officers return home safely to their families, after serving in the line of duty.”

Brown says that in 2011, he urged the U.S. Marshals Service to reverse their plans to eliminate the program following his visit to a Fugitive Safe Surrender site at the historic Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood in September 2010. During the four-day event, more than 7,400 people voluntarily surrendered—a record turnout for the program..

His office said their Fugitive Safe Surrender Reauthorization Act of 2023 is supported by National Sheriffs Association, and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of Evangelicals, the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States Office of Justice and Ecology, and the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

Brown and Tillis also introduced legislation Tuesday that would require the U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to create immersive, real-life, scenario-based training curriculum to address key issues raised by law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. The bill would also create a grant program to support public and private entities that train law enforcement officers using immersive curriculum that meets the same standards.

Brown said their Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-Escalation Act of 2023 would assist small Ohio police departments that lack training resources. The NAACP, Fraternal Order of Police, and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association have endorsed the legislation.

“This is an opportunity to bridge divides, to get out of partisan or ideological corners, and actually make policing work better and make our towns and neighborhoods safer,” said a statement from Brown.

Sabrina Eaton writes about the federal government and politics in Washington, D.C., for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.