DECATUR - Macon County Sheriff Jerry Dawson is ecstatic about the success of Deputy Adam Walter's service as a special deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Task Force.

Walter remains at his post in Decatur but can call on other deputy marshals from a 46-county area covered by the task force, as well as marshals nationwide, to assist in the apprehension of violent criminals. In return, he provides help when called upon by deputy marshals in Springfield, Peoria, Champaign or Bloomington to seek fugitives wanted in those jurisdictions.

One example was Walter aiding in the capture of a 26-year-old man who failed to appear in Quincy in September for his trial on charges of attempted murder and armed violence. He was found in a St. Charles, Mo., motel.

Statistics were not kept during March or April on Walter's activity in Macon County. But from May through September, Walter was credited with 104 arrests, 25 percent of the 416 total arrests the task force made during that period.

"This has been a tremendously successful program in Macon County," said Bruce Harmening, task force supervisor. "Macon County was the last agency to join the task force, but we have teams all over Central Illinois.

"We make as many arrests in Decatur as a task force as in any other area. Adam is our eyes and ears there and calls in other task force members as needed."

There have been days in recent months where Walter obtained the assistance of between three and 10 deputy marshals to apprehend a suspect, Harmening said.

"We think we are having an effect on the crime rate," Harmening said. "Police don't put a lot of time in looking for people because they don't have the manpower."

Walter has provided the Decatur Police Department with quite a bit of assistance in recent months, said Lt. James Chervinko of the detective division.

"We've received arrest warrants and given them to Adam to work," Chervinko said. "The marshals have worked well with us the last few years. But having him in the building gives us a direct line of communication with the marshals service."

Dawson said he hesitated initially to put Walter into the task force.

"It's a two-edged sword," Dawson said. "He's out catching a lot people and that just boosts the population in our jail, which already is overcrowded. But the people he's catching are the people who need to be in jail. When he gets on a case, they find the guy."

Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@;herald-review.com or 421-7973.