The mission of Fugitive Watch is to make our community safer by helping law enforcement fight crime. Fugitive Watch brings the community, local business and law enforcement together to solve crimes, apprehend wanted fugitives and provide education and crime prevention information to the community.
History of the Mission Statement
Fugitive Watch began in 1992 as the result of the vision from two San Jose police officers, Steve Ferdin and Scott Castruita. As experienced police officers they realized that there existed a major problem with fugitives committing crimes and victimizing the community. It was obvious to officers Ferdin and Castruita that had these fugitives already been apprehended, scores of crimes could be prevented and untold number of victims spared from violent crime.
As police officers they developed a passion for tracking down fugitives and surmised that they could put thousands of more eyes on the lookout by publicizing the names and photos of the fugitives to the community. Fugitive Watch has taken the old ineffective Post Office Wanted Posters into 21st century. Fugitive Watch provides three medias, a television program, newspaper and web site, to disseminate information about unsolved crimes, wanted persons and community information.
Silicon Valley has the distinction of being the birthplace of the first and only program in the world with such an extensive community based media anti-crime program in Fugitive Watch.
Fugitive Watch has been warmly received by the community and experienced tremendous results by successfully bringing together local business, the community and law enforcement into a powerful grass roots crime-fighting tool. Business and private sponsorship helps Fugitive Watch empower the community to strike back at crime from the safety of their living rooms. Fugitive Watch has been credited by law enforcement with over 1,000 crimes solved or fugitives apprehended.
Fugitive Watch also helps improve the safety of police officers by locating fugitives for law enforcement so they can more safely arrest them rather than unexpectedly running across them through extremely dangerous routine “chance encounters”. As law enforcement officers know all to well, These “chance encounters” have resulted in countless officer injuries and deaths.