The U.S. attorney, district attorney, U.S. Marshals Service, El Paso Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department joined forces in January to ensure the approximate 821 registered sex offenders in the El Paso area were in compliance with applicable state and federal laws. Operation Guardian West was designed to investigate offenders’ compliance with registration requirements and for those found to be noncompliant, to secure criminal complaints, state or federal, seeking their prosecution. The operation was designed to compliment existing city and county registration compliance initiatives

“This is only the first step in an ongoing process of maintaining a constant focus on sex offenders residing in our community,” U.S. Marshal LaFayette Collins said. “Convicted sex offenders must abide by the rule of law and in the greater El Paso community; they must know the combined forces of the law enforcement community will be watching and ready to act.”

During the three-month operation, 821 compliance investigations, work and residential, were conducted, resulting in 27 state warrants for offenders within the jurisdiction of the El Paso Police Department and 45 state warrants for offenders within the jurisdiction of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department.