Current United States Marshal for the Western District of New York
Charles F. Salina

Charles F. Salina serves as the United States Marshal for the Western District of New York. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in July 2011.

The Western District of New York covers 17 counties. As Marshal, Salina’s responsibilities encompass leading and directing operations, including security and protection of the United States Courts, criminal investigations, fugitive apprehension, execution of federal court orders and other law enforcement activities.

Marshal Salina has spent his entire law enforcement career with the United States Marshals Service.

He joined in 1988 as a Deputy Marshal, starting his career in the Southern District of New York. From 1990 to 2001, Salina served as a member of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Special Operations Group. He rose through the ranks to become Supervisory Criminal Investigator for the Western District of New York.

Marshal Salina holds a bachelor’s degree from Oswego State University.

List of WDNY UNITED STATES MARSHALS beginning on May 12, 1900

MARSHAL DATE VICE
Compton, William R. June 5, 1900 (C) Himself as Marshal of Northern District
April 19, 1904 (C)
January 26, 1909 (C)
Fassett, Henry L. May 2, 1912 (C.A.) Compton (Deceased)
May 28, 1912 (C)
Lynn, John D. October 25, 1915 (R) Fassett (Resigned)
January 11, 1916 (C)
March 13, 1920 (C)
Fritsch, Joseph Jr. January 22, 1924 (C) Lynn (Resigned)
March 7, 1928 (C)
April 5, 1932 (C)
Blackford, Frank C. June 20, 1936 (C) Fritsch (Term Expired)
June 24, 1940 (C)
June 29, 1944 (C)
Morgan, Ray A. February 15, 1949 (C.A.) Blackford (Retired)
April 1, 1949 (C)
Glasser, George M. March 6, 1954 (C) Morgan (Term Expired)
May 8, 1958 (C)
Grossman, Alvin January 30, 1962 (C. A.) Glasser (Resigned)
March 17, 1962 (C)
June 20, 1966 (C)
King, Edward S. August 13, 1970 (C) Grossman (Term Expired)
December 19, 1974 (C)
St. George, Joseph I. July 14, 1978 (C) King (Term Expired)
Wright, Daniel B. December 10, 1982 (C) St. George (Term Expired)
July 2, 1987 (C)
McCaffrey, John Patrick June 9, 1994 (C) Wright ( Term Expired)
Lawrence, Peter A. August 6, 2022 (C) McCaffrey (Term Expired)
Salina, Charles F. July 5, 2011 (C) Lawrence (Resigned)

Abbreviations

“R” – Recess appointment date

“C” – Commission date (used from 1903 to present)

“C.A.” – Court appointment date

History

Founded in September 1789, the United States Marshals Service is the First Federal Law Enforcement Agency in the United States

FACTS

  • September 24, 1789 – Judiciary Act

Pursuant to the Judiciary Act of 1789, the United States Marshals Service was established as the first federal law enforcement agency. The Judiciary Act made law enforcement the primary function of the US Marshals Service. President George Washington appointed the first 13 U.S. Marshals.

  • Bass Reeves was among the first known African American Deputy US Marshals west of the Mississippi. He served for 32 years, from 1875 until 1907, in the Western District of Arkansas and Indian Territory.
  • Frederick Douglass was appointed as the first African American US Marshal by President Hayes on March 17, 1877. Douglass was the US Marshal for the District of Columbia and served until 1881.

DUTIES

  • 1790 – Census Takers

US Marshals conducted the Federal Census every 10 years through 1870 when the duty was transferred from the US Marshals.

  • 1850 – Fugitive Slave Act

Under the Fugitive Slave Act, US Marshals began arresting and returning fugitive slaves.

  • 1890 – Protection of Federal Judges

Protection of federal judiciary mission was established based on the Supreme Court Decision, In Re Neagle

In Re Neagle – the Court held that the President, through the Attorney General, may direct a US Marshal to accompany and protect federal judges from assault.

  • 1971 – Witness Security

Upon passage of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, the Witness Security Program was established as a division of the US Marshals Service.

  • 1971 – Special Operations Group (SOG)

Established to provide mobile group of self-sufficient Deputies capable of responding anywhere in the US and its territories within a few hours of activation.

  • 1979 – Fugitive Operations

Attorney General Benjamin R Civiletti transferred responsibility for certain fugitive operations from the FBI to the US Marshals Service.

  • 1982 – Court Security Officer Program

Established in cooperation with the Administrative Office of the US Courts.

  • 1985 – Asset Forfeiture

USMS assumed responsibility of management and disposition of seized assets for federal law enforcement agencies and US attorneys nationwide after the passage of the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act.

  • 1985 – National Prisoner Transportation System

USMS acquired its first Boeing 727 aircraft to use for prisoner transport.

  • 2000 – The Presidential Threat Protection Act

The Act led to the creation of (7) Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Forces.

  • 2006 – The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act

USMS acquired three principal responsibilities under the law: to assist state, local, tribal and territorial authorities in locating and apprehending non-compliant and fugitive sex offenders; to investigate violations of the AWA for federal prosecution; and to assist in the identification and location of sex offenders relocated as a result of major disaster.

USMS 30×30 Pledge

Learn more at: https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/us-marshals-take-30×30-pledge-advance-women-policing-first-federal-agency-and
  • US Marshals Service was the first federal law enforcement agency and the 200th law enforcement organization overall to sign the 30×30 Pledge. 30×30 Pledge is a nationwide initiative to advance women in policing
  • Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal (CDUSM) Evaline Wahl, pictured below in 1955 with the U.S. Marshal of the Western District of New York, George M. Glasser (left), joined in 1925. She attained the position of CDUSM in 1954 and maintained this position until her retirement in 1971.
  • Evaline Wahl – In the late 1950s and early 1960, there was a heavy organized crime presence in Buffalo. Wahl was important in combatting organized crime and making arrests in the Western New York area. https://www.govexec.com/management/2022/11/look-trailblazing-women-us-marshals-service-over-years/380251
  • First Woman Deputy U.S. Marshal and U.S. Marshal

Phoebe Couzins – late 1880s, Phoebe Couzins began her career as one of the first female lawyers in the U.S. and became the first female Deputy U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Missouri, where her father served as U.S. Marshal. She became the first female U.S. Marshal after her father died. https://www.govexec.com/management/2022/11/look-trailblazing-women-us-marshals-service-over-years/380251/

NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force

The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NY/NJ RFTF) begun operations in April of 2002 and was the first Regional Fugitive Task Force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJ RFTF was the flagship task force that led to the creation of seven other Regional Fugitive Task Forces across the country. With partnership agreements with over 98 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJ RFTF has successfully apprehended over 101,900 fugitives since its inception. The NY/NJ RFTF has made extraordinary contributions in apprehending the region’s most dangerous and violent fugitives and in making their communities safer.

WNY Participating Agencies:

  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • New York State Police
  • New York State Department of Corrections/Parol
  • Erie County Sherrif’s
  • Monroe County Sherriff’s
  • Rochester Police Department
  • East Rochester Police Department
  • Buffalo Police Department
  • Niagara Falls Police Department
  • Fairport Police Department

Recent Operations

Operation North Star II – Buffalo, NY

ONS II targeted violent offenders in 20 cities and resulted in the clearance of 2,818 violent warrants, to include homicide, forcible sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and firearms violations. The cities included Albuquerque; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.

“Operation North Star (ONS) is an evidence-based strategy that targets the drivers of violence in our communities,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis. “ONS is part of the Attorney General’s violent crime reduction strategy, and its success is based on community partnerships and collaboration with our local and state law enforcement partners. I want to thank the outstanding work of the women and men of the USMS and our partnering law enforcement agencies. Together with the community, these efforts have contributed to successful violence reduction efforts in ONS cities.”

In total, US Marshals have apprehended more than 6,700 wanted fugitives, including 900 charged with homicide, and have removed more than 900 weapons associated to violent crime. The concept behind interagency law enforcement operations such as ONS evolved largely from regional and district fugitive task forces. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Marshals Service has combined their resources and expertise with local, state, and federal agencies to find and apprehend dangerous fugitives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74msFzMLtZs

Notable Cases

USMS Media

Manhunts:

  • Ralph “Bucky” Phillips

Ralph “Bucky” Phillips was placed on the U.S. Marshals Service Top 15 list in April 2006 after he escaped from Alden Correctional Facility in Erie County on April 2, 2006. Phillips was serving a 90-day sentence for a parole violation when he escaped by cutting a hole in the kitchen ceiling with a can opener.  After his escape he committed numerous crimes including the shooting of 3 New York State Troopers, ultimately leading to the death of New York State Trooper Joseph Longobardo.  Phillips was eventually captured on September 8, 2006 by Pennsylvania State Police in Warren County, Pennsylvania.

  • Michael Burham

The US Marshals Service assisted in the manhunt for prison escapee Michael Burham.  Burham escaped from the Warren County Jail in Northern Pennsylvania on July 6, 2023. Burham was also a suspect in the murder investigation of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin in Jamestown, New York.  It is alleged that Burham committed multiple crimes in Warren County, Pennsylvania as he fled Jamestown, New York.  He was captured in South Carolina and was being held on multiple charges when he escaped. A 9-day manhunt began involving many state, local and federal agencies.  The US Marshals Service issued a $22,000.00 reward and Burham was ultimately apprehended in Pennsylvania.

Extradition:

  • James Kopp

James Charles Kopp was convicted in 2003 for the October 23, 1998 sniper-style murder of Barnett Slepian.  Slepian was a physician from Amherst, NY who performed abortions. Kopp fired a single shot from a rifle from a nearby wooded area at Slepian as he stood in the kitchen of his home. Kopp then fled to Mexico under an assumed name, later to Ireland, and ultimately to Brittany, France.  On March 29, 2001 Kopp was arrested by French law enforcement in the town of Dinan.  The United States requested extradition which was completed by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Protection:

  • Courthouse Protection – May 2020

The United States Marshals Service was responsible for the protection of the federal courthouses in the Western District of New York during the protests and demonstrations in May 2020.  Protests and demonstrations were brought about after the death of George Floyd on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis.  Floyd, a 46 year old unarmed African American man, was murdered by City of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest.  The George Floyd Protest movement spread nationally as citizens demanded change in police brutality and racial injustices.