On the run
Looking southwestward about 3,200 miles, California pro Ken Mah also specializes in finding folks, but they’re usually not very happy to see him. As a member of the State of California Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team, Mah helps round up approximately 400 bad guys a year for the U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force. Time on the run varies by individual, but if Mah’s looking for them, a recent and serious crime has put them on his radar.
A lot of telephone and Internet research time enables Mah to locate wanted individuals throughout California, as well as Mexico and as far away as Florida and New York. Most out-of-town cases are transferred to local teams, but Mah’s job frequently involves what’s called a knock-and-notice in which the individual inside a residence has two options – comply or find out why fugitive apprehension teams train so vigorously.
Asked if his work is anything like the drama depicted in TV shows or the 1998 Tommy Lee Jones/Wesley Snipes movie, U.S. Marshall’s, Mah gives a half smile and notes that the job definitely has its hairy moments.
“I’m probably in one of the most high risk law enforcement jobs there are,” Mah said. “When we are serving warrants, we’re typically going after very dangerous and violent individuals. If our team picks up a case, it’s someone who has committed an armed robbery, someone who has shot (another person) or serious sex offenders.
Originally published on FLW Outdoors
05.Jul.2012 by David A. Brown