# U.S. Marshals Service *Federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, named in one entry of the Minnesota at-issue record.* The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is the [[United States Department of Justice]] agency that enforces federal court decisions and protects the federal judiciary, under the direction of the attorney general.[^1] The office of United States Marshal dates from the Judiciary Act of 1789. The Service, as the body coordinating marshals across the judicial districts, dates from 1969.[^1][^2] In the Minnesota record the agency appears once, as a contracting party at the Sherburne County jail. An at-issue entry reports that the county calls the jail "the 2nd largest county facility in the state." The same entry reports a daily average of more than 500 federal detainees held under contracts with ICE, the Marshals Service and the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]].[^8] The record does not include the contracts or any audit of them. ## Who The Service answers to the attorney general within the Justice Department.[^1] A director heads it, with a deputy director as principal deputy and first in line of succession. The deputy attorney general supervises the director.[^5][^6] The director's post was originally titled chief United States Marshal.[^6] Each federal judicial district has its own United States Marshal. That officer is appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and serves as the agency's top executive in the district.[^5][^6] Below the marshal are a chief deputy at GS-14 or 15, who is the district's senior career manager. Supervisory deputies at GS-13 oversee three or more deputies and clerks. Deputy and special deputy marshals are added as needed.[^5][^6] ## What The agency's listed functions are: - locating and arresting federal suspects and running fugitive operations; - guarding federal courthouses and judicial personnel; - moving federal prisoners, including through the Justice Prisoner Air Transportation System; - operating the Federal Witness Protection Program; - managing criminal assets; - protecting senior officials through its Office of Protective Operations.[^1][^3] Over its history it has also escorted Minuteman missile convoys, policed the United States Antarctic Program and protected the Strategic National Stockpile.[^1] The Service executes lawful writs, processes and orders issued under federal authority, and it can command the assistance needed to do so. The Wikipedia summary places that general power in 18 U.S.C. 564. It lists further powers in 18 U.S.C. 3053, 28 U.S.C. 566, 50 U.S.C. 24, 18 U.S.C. 3058 and 18 U.S.C. 3193.[^3] This record carries no primary text of those sections. The director may deputize, for one year, selected Justice Department officers and federal, state or local law enforcement officers.[^3] Deputies' work includes criminal investigations, warrant service, protection of officials, processing of seized assets for investigative agencies, and relocating federal witnesses under new identities.[^6] ## When - **1789.** The First Congress created the office. President George Washington signed the Judiciary Act on September 24, 1789.[^2] The act made executing lawful warrants issued under federal authority the marshal's chief duty and treated marshals as officers of the courts. It set a four-year term, with removal at pleasure.[^2] Six days later Washington named the first thirteen marshals, one for each district then in existence.[^2] Section 27 of the act let marshals enlist willing civilians as deputies.[^3] - **1969.** The Marshals Service was formed to guide and assist the marshals across the judicial districts.[^1] - **1981–1985.** The Service ran Fugitive Investigative Strike Team operations to accelerate fugitive captures in selected districts.[^3] - **January 2007.** A deputy marshal assigned to protect a cooperating witness was charged with theft of Justice Department property, disclosure of confidential information, and lying to federal agents.[^7] - **February 2009.** Several courthouses missed mock explosives that headquarters sent to test screening.[^7] - **April 27, 2009.** A federal jury convicted that deputy of leaking secret government information about the witness.[^7] - **November 2010.** The Justice Department's [[Office of Inspector General]] issued an audit of courthouse security.[^7] - **2012.** The Service's own capture and warrant figures for the year are reported under ## How many.[^3] ## Where Headquarters is in Arlington County, Virginia. Headquarters provides command and coordination for the agency's field elements.[^5] The federal courts are organized into 94 judicial districts, and each has a marshal. The exception is Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, which share one marshal.[^5] New deputies train for 18 weeks at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, a [[Department of Homeland Security]] facility.[^4] ## How Fewer than five percent of qualified applicants are typically hired. Applicants need a bachelor's degree or competitive work experience, usually three or more years in state or local policing.[^4] They pass a written test, an oral board, a background investigation, medical and drug screening, and Fitness In Total exams before training.[^4] Deputies carry the Glock 17 in 9mm, which replaced the Glock 22 in .40 S&W. Body armor and collapsible batons are standard, and a body-worn camera program has recently been introduced.[^4] ### Inspector General findings and a conviction The November 2010 audit reported "weaknesses in the USMS's efforts to secure federal court facilities in the six USMS district offices we visited."[^7] It found that the Judicial Security Division had placed contract Court Security Officers on duty before their background checks were finished.[^7] It also found officers who were not trained on screening equipment, which left some equipment unused.[^7] Separately, the Service had awarded a $300 million contract to USProtect Corporation. Wikipedia reports that the company had prior convictions for mail fraud, bank fraud and false insurance claims, and that a civil judgment had been entered against its chief financial officer.[^7] ## How much - **USProtect contract.** The guard contract was valued at $300 million.[^7] - **Starting grade.** New deputies enter at GS-5 to GS-7.[^6] - **Reclassification.** After the academy, deputies are reclassified as 1811 Criminal Investigators, which brings 25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay on top of base pay.[^6] - **Earlier practice.** Previously, that reclassification waited until GS-11. That practice caused financial hardship and retention problems for new deputies.[^6] - **Promotions.** Annual promotions follow, to GS-9, GS-11 and then GS-12.[^6] ## How many - **Fugitive arrests.** The Service accounts for 55.2% of arrests of federal fugitives.[^3] - **2012 figures.** In 2012 it reported more than 36,000 federal fugitives captured and more than 39,000 fugitive warrants cleared.[^3] - **Firearms qualifications.** The 2010 audit found that 18% of court security officers had outdated firearms qualifications.[^7] - **Districts.** There are 94 judicial districts and 13 original marshals.[^5][^2] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue record carries one entry naming the Marshals Service, AI-Sherburne-086, ranked 86.[^8] According to that entry: - Sherburne County, [[Minnesota]], describes its jail as "the 2nd largest county facility in the state."[^8] - The jail holds more than 500 federal detainees on average per day, under contracts with ICE, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[^8] - The local inmate population numbers one to two hundred.[^8] Read together, the entry's figures set the county's description of its facility beside the facility's documented business: three federal agencies, one county building, and a federal population several times the local one.[^8] The entry gives the county's own site as its source domain. However, the county page is not among this article's citable sources. The entry's only linked URL is its anchor, a May 2026 White House presidential action that does not itself carry the county's statement.[^8] The figures above are therefore stated as the entry's account. The record does not include the contracts or any audit of them. ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, lead section (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — DOJ placement, mission, 1969 establishment, listed functions and historical assignments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^2]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "History — Origins" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — Judiciary Act signing date, marshal's duties and term, first thirteen appointments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^3]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "Duties and responsibilities" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — fugitive-arrest share, 1981–1985 strike teams, 2012 counts, statutory powers, deputation authority. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^4]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "Training and equipment" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — hiring rate and steps, 18-week FLETC training, sidearms and equipment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^5]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "Organization" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — headquarters location, chain of supervision, 94 districts and district staffing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^6]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "Personnel" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — titles, deputy pay grades, availability pay, duties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^7]: Wikipedia, *United States Marshals Service*, "Criticism and controversy" (revision 1378217563, retrieved 2026-10-27) — November 2010 OIG audit findings, USProtect contract, 2007 charge and 2009 conviction of a deputy marshal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marshals_Service [^8]: The White House, *presidential action, May 2026*, cited as the anchor of at-issue entry AI-Sherburne-086 (source: Sherburne_Jail_Brief; source domain co.sherburne.mn.us) (2026-05) — the anchor the project pairs with the county's self-description; it is not the county's document. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/restoring-integrity-to-americas-financial-system/