Operation Flagship
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2018) |
Operation Flagship was a joint effort by law enforcement to lure wanted fugitives by means of advertising and inviting them to Washington D.C's convention center for a party and a Washington Redskins ticket giveaway on December 15, 1985.[1][2] The event purported to promote a new channel, Flagship International Sports Television. The first letters of this new channel were the same as the acronym for the Fugitive Investigative Strike Team of the United States Marshals Service.
OperationEdit
Letters were sent to the fugitives' last known address stating that they had won tickets to a Washington Redskins game against the Cincinnati Bengals later that afternoon. Once the fugitives arrived, the agents verified their identities. Those who were confirmed to be fugitives were led to a separate room where a stage man warmly welcomed them. On the cue of the word "surprise", a separate team stormed the room and the operation helped bring two Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives to justice. The organizers attributed the success to the lack of social media at the time, since very few people were in on the ruse.
ReceptionEdit
The success of the operation was credited to the secrecy of the operation as there was no social media in the 1980s. In 2017, ESPN produced a 30 for 30 short dubbed "Strike Team".[3]
ReferencesEdit
- ^ (USMS), U.S. Marshals Service. "U.S. Marshals Service". www.usmarshals.gov.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/scott.s.allen. "How U.S. Marshals used Redskins tickets to bust fugitives in 1985 sting". Washington Post.
- ^ http://www.espn.com/30for30/film?page=striketeam