‘Operation Safe Christmas’ nets over 60 arrests
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By TRAVIS MORSE
tmorse@morningsentinel.com
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — A recent fugitive apprehension effort called “Operation Safe Christmas” resulted in 63 arrests of criminal offenders, along with the seizure of 2.5 pounds of narcotics and $15,000 in U.S. currency, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office Monday.
The coordinated operation was executed by federal and state law enforcement agencies over a period of seven days. Those agencies included the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) for the Southern District of Illinois, FBI Springfield, Illinois State Police, ATF Chicago, and DEA St. Louis. However, local agencies including the Mount Vernon Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also contributed to the effort.
“The U.S. Marshals led this expansive operation in (the) field, together with FBI and Illinois State Police leadership,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft in a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. “Together, federal, state, and local partners arrested 63 fugitives – including the Marshal Service’s arrest of the suspect from the Dec. 5, 2025, Granite City police shooting. These results reflect weeks of planning and coordination to remove criminal elements from our streets.”
The arrests spanned over Bond, Effingham, Fayette, Madison, and St. Clair counties in Illinois, as well as in Atlanta, Georgia, the release states.
Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Brands remarked Tuesday on the MVPD’s involvement in the effort.
“We have two investigators assigned to the FBI task force and they did assist in some of these operations in southern Illinois,” Brands said. “And we continue to partner with our state and federal partners to take dangerous criminals off the streets. And we will continue those partnerships to continue also to make Mount Vernon a safe place to live.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard said that his agency has a detective assigned to the USMS Fugitive Task Force that participated in this “successful operation.”
“Any time criminal justice agencies can work together for better public safety, it is a victory,” Bullard said. “We look forward to continued success with this partnership, as well as others, into the future.”
According to U.S. Marshal David C. Davis, the USMS Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, Southern District of Illinois, proudly participated in Operation Safe Christmas. Davis said in the news release that the initiative was focused on “enhancing public safety and apprehending dangerous fugitives.”
“The operation’s success was made possible through the strong collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, whose commitment and cooperation remain essential to these efforts,” Davis said. “USMS Regional Fugitive Task Forces play a critical role in locating and apprehending violent offenders and supporting high-profile investigations. During this operation, task force members, alongside the Illinois State Police, and members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Eastern District of Missouri, were instrumental in the investigation and apprehension of the alleged shooter of a Granite City Police Officer. Their determination, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to justice exemplify the mission of the U.S. Marshals Service.”
FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. S. Johnson added that operations like this reflect the “strength that comes from close cooperation among law enforcement agencies.”
“By working together, we are able to locate and apprehend individuals who drive violent crime into our communities,” Johnson said in the release. “The successful arrests made during this sweep represent FBI Springfield’s continued commitment to crushing violent crime and keeping our neighborhoods safe.”
The roundup was a joint operation by the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI Springfield Field Office and Illinois State Police with assistance from DEA, Fairview Heights Police Department, Carlyle Police Department, Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Bond County Sheriff’s Department, Vandalia Police Department, Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, Danville Police Department, Johnson City Police Department, Saline County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Atlanta Field Office.
The U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of Illinois Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force consists of participating agencies from the Illinois State Police, Belleville Police Department, Granite City Police Department, Alton Police Department, ATF Chicago, Homeland Security Investigations, Illinois Department of Corrections – Parole, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department.
The FBI’s efforts in this operation were also part of a larger initiative, Operation Coast to Coast, which is dedicated to combatting violent crime and narcotic distribution, the news release states.
