When Police Work May Not Be Enough

Last month, in an incident that briefly caused international tensions, the Mexican government declined to extradite a U.S. citizen who had been accused of killing four people in Baldwin Park.

Mexico, whose government opposes the death penalty, refused to send David “Spooky” Alvarez, 29, back to Los Angeles unless Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti provided assurances Alvarez would not be executed for allegedly killing two men and two girls--ages 8 and 12.

The matter ultimately was resolved when Mexican authorities announced the defendant would be tried for the slayings under their own laws.

The Alvarez case--resolved when Mexican authorities announced they would try him under their own laws--may have been more complicated than most. But it nonetheless points up the potential pitfalls when a suspect flees across international borders. Or for that matter, over the state line.

Once a suspect leaves California, a case cannot be solved by effective police work alone. In fact, as past history shows, it may take a little bit of diplomacy to bring someone to justice.

At the Los Angeles Police Department’s fugitive warrants section, Lt. Bruce Meyer and his staff of 49 are now monitoring 10,725 felony warrants.

“We are searching for large numbers of people who are wanted for serious crimes either by seeking sanctuary here in Los Angeles or fleeing to other jurisdictions or other countries,” Meyer said. “Bringing these suspects to justice is a very demanding task that requires highly trained, highly specialized officers who become proficient in tracking these suspects.”

In interstate cases, police work with the Los Angeles district attorney and the California Department of Justice on extradition cases and so-called renditions, when an accused criminal is arrested in California and returned to the prosecuting state.

In these domestic cases, the governors’ offices in the two states negotiate the return through what is known as a governor’s warrant.

Most extradition requests are approved, especially in bigger crimes. Such was the case when Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles agreed to send accused cross-country killer Glen Rogers back to Los Angeles to face murder charges in connection with the death of a woman he met at a Van Nuys bar.

With international cases, local law enforcement officials call in federal authorities to handle similar negotiations with their foreign counterparts.

Meyer said LAPD officers have spanned the globe to track down fugitives, traveling as far as Russia or the Philippines.

Most cases, however, “involve suspected criminals from Central and South America,” said Meyer, adding that it’s rare for other countries to allow their own citizens to be tried in the United States. In the past year, only two foreign citizens have been returned to Los Angeles to face prosecution, contrasted with 25 accused criminals who were tried abroad for crimes they allegedly committed here.

Bringing back fugitives who flee to other states is somewhat easier but still has its challenges, Meyer said.

For starters, when someone is arrested and arraigned in another state, California authorities have 10 days to pick them up. But if a defendant chooses to fight extradition, there may be a series of court hearings before a state’s governor signs an order allowing them to be brought back to California. That process can take up to 90 days, Meyer said.

Then, Meyer said, there are cases where a state will refuse to extradite because it is too costly or the crime is minor. “Each case is evaluated on the merits, he said. There’s no overriding philosophy.”