After going nearly 20 years without having one of its own shot to death in the line of duty, the U.S. Marshals Service has had two killed so far this year.

 

Both marshals who died in 2010 were assisting local law enforcement apprehend non-federal suspects, something the Marshals Service has been doing with increasing regularity, partially because of reduced funding for state and local law enforcement agencies.

 

In 2004, marshals helped arrest 15,412 local suspects. But in one three-year period, the total soared to 34,015 in 2007, 73,915 in 2008 and 101,910 in 2009.

 

Although the total dipped last year, to 52,519, the Marshals Service is still heavily involved in apprehending state and local felony fugitives.

 

The two deputy marshals killed (in separate incidents) were Derek Hotsinpiller and John Perry. Hotsinpiller was only 24 years old and had graduated from the U.S. Marshals Academy just over a year ago. He was shot to death on February 16 while accompanying the West Virginia State Police attempting to serve an arrest warrant to an alleged cocaine dealer. Perry was helping St. Louis police on March 8, when he was killed by another drug-related fugitive who had vowed never to be taken alive.

 

Before the deaths of Perry and Hotsinpiller, the Marshals Service hadn’t lost a deputy since Ruby Ridge Incident in Idaho on July 20, 1992. On January 4, 2010, a court security officer, Stanley Cooper, was killed in Las Vegas.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Why the Spike in Shootings of U.S. Marshals? (by Ryan Reilly, TPM Muckraker)

Deputy U.S. Marshal Killed In Shooting Was 24-Year-Old Recent Academy Grad (by Ryan Reilly, TPM Muckraker)

History - Roll Call (U.S. Marshals Service)