Legislation passed by the 2000 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jesse Ventura designated the unit as a law enforcement agency to be staffed by licensed peace officers with the authority to arrest DOC fugitives. These are fugitives who are under the jurisdiction of the commissioner of corrections and have escaped from state correctional facilities, absconded from supervised release, or are in violation of their release agreement. The unit apprehends approximately 290 DOC felons a year. The unit was designated a law enforcement agency because of its close working relationship with law enforcement in the apprehension of an increasing number of DOC fugitives - approximately 290 a year. Status as a law enforcement entity was also necessary due to a shift in the type of offender with which the unit must deal.
Offenders are more recalcitrant and violent, with a propensity to exhibit dangerous behavior.
Staff are at risk as they search for offenders in what are frequently dangerous situations and must be armed in order to protect the public and themselves.