Longtime deputy to assist with Operation Relentless Pursuit

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- As the details of Operation Relentless Pursuit continue to unfold, a longtime Buchanan County deputy will head up local efforts.

Investigator Billy Paul Miller, who has spent over 35 years in law enforcement, will be the designated investigator for the coordinated law enforcement effort created through Governor Mike Kehoe's Executive Order 25-02, signed in January of this year.

Specifically, the initiative seeks to locate and apprehend fugitives who are "subject to felony arrests," according to the Missouri Secretary of State's website.

Investigator Miller said he and a partner have already started combing through warrants and seeking those who are wanted felons in the area.

"There are violent offenders out there," Miller said. "That includes a lot of people who have violated probation or parole. . . and others who have not shown up to court."

The benefit of the executive order is, it provides funding which allows counties and jurisdictions to free up officers to specifically pursue wanted felons. Captain Shawn Collie said this is much more efficient than in the past.

"Fugitives have been something we've worked on over the years," Collie said, "But in the past, we've never really had people designated just for fugitives. So, we had to put these aside at times to address more immediate crimes. That's where Relentless Pursuit comes in."

Both Miller and Collie said this order has created a stronger sense of partnership statewide, which is especially important when a fugitive flees from one jurisdiction to another.

"Knowing that this is a statewide program gives us more opportunities to target fugitives as a priority when we contact another jurisdiction," Collie said. "We know there are other designated investigators in other jurisdictions who are keying in specifically on fugitives."

A stated goal of the Executive Order is to "facilitate the sharing of intelligence and operational plans with relevant agencies," according to the Missouri Secretary of State's office. Investigator Miller said this can really speed up the process of catching those who are fleeing from justice.

"Once we identify a fugitive that we are going after, we will use all available resources to go after them," Miller said. "This includes highway patrol resources, databases, local agencies and even employers."

Miller added they will also do "leg work," such as surveillance and door to door operations in order to get fugitives into custody. Overall, the additional resources and enhanced networking the program creates can ultimately lead to more arrests of violent criminals who have fled from justice or have fled from their court appearances, resulting in greater community safety, according to Captain Collier.

In a press release sent out on Friday, May 9, Gov. Kehoe reported, "In it's first four weeks of operations across Missouri, Operation Relentless Pursuit (ORP) has arrested or assisted in the arrest of 148 fugitives wanted for outstanding felony warrants...The 148 arrests resulted in clearing 251 outstanding arrest warrants."

Visit our website for more in-depth reporting on Operation Relentless Pursuit.