April 15th, 2026 Local News
Jefferson City, Mo. (KFMO) - Missouri’s statewide anti-crime initiative is showing major results after just one year of operation.
Governor Mike Kehoe announced that Operation Relentless Pursuit (ORP) officers arrested or assisted in the arrests of 1,585 fugitives wanted on felony warrants during the program’s first year.
Those arrests include suspects connected to 26 murder or homicide charges. In total, the operation helped clear 2,699 outstanding warrants across 83 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. Additional arrests tied to the effort were also made in several surrounding states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
The initiative, launched April 7, 2025, focuses on tracking down some of the state’s most dangerous fugitives through intelligence-led policing and coordination between agencies.
Governor Kehoe says public safety has been a top priority since the program began.
Officials report that ORP officers also seized 119 illegally possessed firearms over the past year.
According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the task force has handled a wide range of serious crimes. Arrests or assisted arrests included cases involving rape, sex trafficking, crimes against children, kidnapping, manslaughter, assault, burglary, robbery, drug trafficking, and probation violations.
Authorities say the pace of arrests is increasing. In the first three months of 2026 alone, ORP officers were involved in 13 murder or homicide-related arrests, matching the total from the previous nine months of operation.
The program operates with nine regional teams made up of Missouri State Highway Patrol officers and local deputy sheriffs, working alongside other agencies and the U.S. Marshals Service. Advanced tools such as surveillance technology, drones, and specialized tactical units are also used when needed to apprehend suspects.
Law enforcement leaders say the collaboration between agencies continues to grow, strengthening the effort to locate and arrest wanted fugitives across Missouri.
Officials say the mission of Operation Relentless Pursuit will continue, with a focus on holding offenders accountable and improving safety in communities statewide.