Fugitive Safe Surrender is designed to make communities safer. For every fugitive that chooses to voluntarily and peacefully surrender, law enforcement officers and residents face one less potentially dangerous confrontation on the streets. People who chose to turn themselves in to volunteers and pastors will appear before a court to answer to the charges against them. In cooperation with FSS, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission and the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will be on site to offer job counseling services and advice on how to renew driver’s licenses respectively.  

The Fugitive Safe Surrender Program is designed to give fugitives the chance to come forward and do the right thing – get their lives back on track and help bring closure to victims.   While law enforcement tries to present this opportunity July 9 to the 12^th we have a responsibility to the victims of these outstanding warrants/crimes to also search out those fugitives who fail to come forward.  Therefore, those who choose not to surrender will be subject to large scale fugitive search in both Richland and Lexington Counties beginning July 14 and individuals arrested in the sweeps will be booked into jails awaiting court hearings.

Additional information about FSS:

United States Marshal Johnny Mack Brown, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and Lexington County Sheriff James Metts began working on bringing FSS to the Midlands in April 2007. As the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, current SLED Director Reggie Lloyd has played a role in galvanizing community support. South Carolina will actually be the first FSS location to combine two counties (two different jurisdictions) into one event. With over 100,000 outstanding warrants between the two counties, that uniqueness has presented an opportunity to make Columbia one of the most successful cities yet.

A broad coalition of government and community agencies and organizations were brought together to establish in effect a satellite courthouse at the Bible Way Church for four days. In total, 19 different organizations have joined forces to make FSS-Columbia a reality. Those agencies/entities are: the  United States Marshals Service, the Bible Way Church of Atlas Road, the C.R. Neal Dream Center, the Lexington County Clerk’s Office, the Richland County Clerk’s Office, the Lexington County Magistrates Office, the Richland County Magistrates Office, the Lexington County Public Defender, the Richland County Public Defender, the Eleventh Circuit (Lexington) Solicitor’s Office, the Fifth Circuit (Richland) Solicitor’s Office, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, South Carolina Court Administration, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission, the South Carolina Judicial Department and the State Law Enforcement Division.

• No Tricks – No gimmicks
• Closure for victims
• Acceptance of responsibility by fugitive
• 13,500 people nationwide have turn themselves in as part of FSS
• Fugitive Safe Surrender has no religious requirement whatsoever and does not offer amnesty in exchange for surrender
• Offers consideration from prosecutors and courts for individuals who accept responsibility for their actions.
• Provides an opportunity for people to take responsibility for their actions by turning themselves in
• Person comes in and is greeted by a volunteer or pastor
• Checked in, fingerprinted, warrant served, see a public defender, see a judge, receive counseling if they wish, receive job placement if they wish, see a pastor if they wish and 95% walk out the door with a fresh start.