U.S. Marshals celebrate 215 years

INDIANAPOLIS -- For many across the nation, the U.S. Marshals are Tommy Lee Jones chasing Harrison Ford down sewers in the movie "The Fugitive," but there's more to the U.S. Marshals than the movies let on.\nThey are the oldest law enforcement agency in the U.S., they arrest more federal fugitives than all the other federal law enforcement agencies combined and today marks their 215th anniversary. The U.S. Marshals gathered Thursday at their office in the U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis to speak about their experiences in preparation for the birthday. \nDeputy Ernie Mowell has been a marshal for almost 10 years and said although there are good days and bad days at the office, the good always outweigh the bad.\n"I'm very proud to tell the people I'm a deputy U.S. marshal," Mowell said. "There's a lot of tradition and mystique to be a deputy marshal. A lot of people don't know what the U.S. Marshals do. It's either Tommy Lee Jones or Matt Dillon. I kinda like Matt Dillon (better)."\nThe U.S. Marshals were created by the first Congress in 1789 after the first Judiciary Act was passed. With the act, President George Washington appointed the original 13 marshals to be in charge of 13 districts and to take the U.S census. \nSome of the most important history in which the U.S. Marshals have been involved is connected with civil rights, Deputy U.S. Marshal Jason Wojdylo said. \n"We essentially facilitated the integration of public school and universities -- James Meridith being the first African-American who was admitted to a university -- and it was us marshals who enforced that court action," he said. "We're not doing undercover drug buys. The FBI, DEA and Secret Service are doing all of that. When they can't find somebody, they turn it over to us."\nNow there are 94 districts across the country and the marshals have even more duties to perform. Along with hunting down fugitives, the marshals provide judicial security, witness protection, prisoner services, including transporting them in airplanes, as well as many other responsibilities, according to the U.S. Marshals Web site. \nDeputy Mowell said one of his favorite memories of working for the marshals is when he was in pursuit of a man convicted of rape in state court but who could not be found.\n"We were watching the house from about a quarter of a mile away with binoculars, and out he walked," he said. "We called in the State Police to help make the arrest, and it was just one of those where the whole team concept came together." \nThe Southern District of Indiana extends down from Kokomo to the farthest southern point of the state. There are 18 deputies that cover the entire area.\nChief Deputy Richard Burton has been with the U.S. Marshals 30 years and went to work for them right after he graduated from IU in 1974.\n"It's humbling to be realize that I'm only one of 2,500 people in the whole country that is a U.S. Marshal," Burton said. "The thing I like about the job the most is the variety of the duties I have been able to perform over the years."\n-- Contact senior writer Mike Malik at mjmalik@indiana.edu.