Arrests at disembarcation

[Orlandocruiser]

Our TV station ran an interesting story on last night's news regarding arrests from cruise ships. It seems law enforcement runs checks from the cruise lines passenger lists against outstanding warrents and catches the criminals when they leave the ship. They don't have the lists from the lines before the ship leaves so they have to make the arrests on its return. Here is the link for the article: http://www.wftv.com/news/7055587/detail.html. Yikes, makes you wonder who is on the ship with you!

[gizmo]

Thanks for the link. :)

[Druke I]

You would be surprised at the number of "upstanding citizens" who have outstanding warrants!

[blue whale]

When we sailed on Volendam in 02 on the Asian/Pacific cruise, Volendam made an unexpected stop off the coast by Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Someone was taken off by tender. Rumor ran rampant among the pax as to who was taken off—a crew member who had had an accident? an ill passenger? The next morning when the Times Fax was delivered to our cabins, we found a short article saying that we had off loaded a defrocked priest; he was on the wanted list for molesting children. Since after Dutch Harbor, we would have been out of American jurisdiction, the US authorities had wired to Volendam to pull into Dutch Harbor so that they could pick up this person-of-interest before he escaped to a foreign port. So you just don't know, do you? An interesting, sidebar: The person had signed on for a cabin share and had a room mate assigned to him. When he left the ship, he left with his roommate's cane, according to shipboard gossip. But the story had been reported in the Times.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the link to the interesting article.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Now I wonder if we all will be looking at each other and wondering if that person is wanted for anything???

[djallar]

Now I wonder if we all will be looking at each other and wondering if that person is wanted for anything???

I'm wanted to take out the trash...:p

[jhannah]

Very interesting. There are wanted persons walking all our streets. So it only stands to reason they will be on our cruise ships, too. Fortunately, we don't think about it much or we'd become paranoid. ;)

[flashdog_1]

Very interesting. Logic tells us that the law of averages prevails and there's bound to be someone with either a shady past or a warrant in such a large group of people coming together from so many places. Does it stop us from cruising? No. Those same people are in society unbeknownst to us, in the grocery store and at the beach on land.

[lka1012]

And all this time I thought they were taking off Chair Hogs.

[jhannah]

And all this time I thought they were taking off Chair Hogs.

You wish! :D

[K&RCurt]

This is a very interesting thread and link.

 

I was under the impression that the cruise lines had to provide the passenger manifest to law enforcement / homeland security well before the ship was scheduled to depart. I wonder why they couldn't ID the "offenders" BEFORE the cruise and pull them out at check-in, thus "Getting their man" and also reducing the possibility of having the wanted person commiting "Their special kind of crime" while onboard.

 

I am not overly concered that these folks are on the cruise, but why not err on the side of caution if possible?

[the2ofus]

There was once a warrant issued for my father's arrest. It was for openly defying what he considered to be an unfair licensing law for a particular retailing occupation. He felt it was just a tool to allow the state to collect ever-increasing fees for the public coffers.

 

He forced the issue, was arrested and jailed for one night. He won his court case and, as a result, a whole group of law-abiding retailers won their right to sell a product without having to pay yearly license fees.

[Bodger]

Gee, I was told I 'won' a cruise for sales performance. Maybe they are just trying to arrest me for something, now I am wondering what I did.

 

It is okay to pull those white tags off your furniture after you buy it isn't it?;)

 

Bodger

[rucruizin]

A few years back I was on a cruise and found myself in a situation helping out a 15 year old girl who was being stalked and harrassed by an older man.

He bought her and her friends a couple drinks then started making advances towards her. When she refused his advances he threatened to tell her parents she had been drinking alcohol. He harrassed her for days before In literally walked into the situation and helped her talk to her parents.

 

He was taken into custody by the authorities at the port but we saw him at the airport a few hours later. Scum Bag! He's lucky he made it back to port because when word got out about what he had done there was talk about a blanket party followed by a man overboard party.

[dakrewser]

There was once a warrant issued for my father's arrest. It was for openly defying what he considered to be an unfair licensing law for a particular retailing occupation. He felt it was just a tool to allow the state to collect ever-increasing fees for the public coffers.

 

Right. Everyone needs to remember that an outstanding warrant doesn't equate to a violent criminal - in fact, it rarely does. Most are simply people who forget to pay parking tickets....

[babyher]

Of course, not everyone with a warrant out on them is Ted Bundy or Son Of Sam. A lot of non violent criminals are out there.

 

Some may be for tax evasion, fraud, embezzlement , back child support.

 

HMMMMMMMMMM now that I think about it, it could be why so many people here on CC can cruise so many times a year in suites .

 

 

*LOL* KIDDING .........JUST KIDDING.......*LOL*

[Grumpy1]

This is a very interesting thread and link.

 

I was under the impression that the cruise lines had to provide the passenger manifest to law enforcement / homeland security well before the ship was scheduled to depart. I wonder why they couldn't ID the "offenders" BEFORE the cruise and pull them out at check-in, thus "Getting their man" and also reducing the possibility of having the wanted person commiting "Their special kind of crime" while onboard.

 

I am not overly concered that these folks are on the cruise, but why not err on the side of caution if possible?

Yes, Homeland Security gets the manifest ahead of sailing, but their screening would be for people with known terrorist connections, or other offenses within their jurisdiction. It appears that the list is then passed on down the line so that other law enforcement agencies can check for other classes of violations. By the time the ship returns, the authorities have not only had time to verify the warrants, but probably have the photo from the S&S card to aid in identifying the person. Note to self: make sure you don't have any unpaid parking tickets in fort Lauderdale... :eek:

[tomc]

blue whale...

Volendam made an unexpected stop off the coast by Dutch Harbor, Alaska. We had off loaded a defrocked priest; he was on the wanted list for molesting children.

He was 82 years old, was already known and living in some sort of church "custody" when he took the cruise -- apparently without permission. I think the offense was history and he was not currently a danger to anyone. I reported that story on our radio station and remember the details, although they are a bit hazy now. I thought the action was a bit extreme; if they were that worried, he could have gone back at the next port under guard.

[lougee1043]

blue whale... I think the offense was history quote]

 

i personally dont think that any molesters offense is history -----once a molester always a molester ---better safe then sorry -- ok flamers begin--

 

one of the tv news shows ran a sting in riverside calif regarding meeting pre and teens on the internet - the police arrested over 40 people in 2 days all going to the same house -- if that many people went to one house imagine what was going on in many of the other houses on that same day -- they arrested married men -- teachers -a homeland security agent and many more -- what was even worse they arrested ex convicts who were convicted of crimes to children as well as a man convicted of murder

[babyher]

blue whale... I think the offense was history quote]

 

i personally dont think that any molesters offense is history -----once a molester always a molester ---better safe then sorry -- ok flamers begin--

 

one of the tv news shows ran a sting in riverside calif regarding meeting pre and teens on the internet - the police arrested over 40 people in 2 days all going to the same house -- if that many people went to one house imagine what was going on in many of the other houses on that same day -- they arrested married men -- teachers -a homeland security agent and many more -- what was even worse they arrested ex convicts who were convicted of crimes to children as well as a man convicted of murder

 

 

No flamming from me. I agree with you 100%

 

 

I saw that show and thought the same thing, that was just one house in one town on 2 days. What the heck must be going on in houses all over the country day after day that don't have a sting set up :(

[tomc]

lougee...

I personally don't think that any molester's offense is history -- once a molester always a molester -- better safe than sorry.

I pretty much agree, but putting an 82-year-old man off in a tender (I recall it as being a tugboat, along with an ill or injured crew member) at Dutch Harbor is a little much. Tell the crew to keep an eye on the old guy and remind him there are cameras all over the place and a brig on "B" deck. Confiscate his walker ... :p

[tumeroll]

Wonder which cruise line has the most wanted passengers in any given year?

[noblepa]

I'm not sure that I agree that delaying the ship and putting the guy off is over the top. Even with countries that the US has extradition treaties with, that can be a long and difficult process, if he decides to fight it. I assume that the next stop was in Canada.

 

In addition, can you imagine the public uproar and the legal liability for the cruise line, if he were to even attempt any shenanigans with the kids on board? Even if nothing happened, if it became known that the cruise line knowingly allowed a pedophile to remain aboard, it would make RCCL's honeymooner-overboard PR troubles look like a picnic. Once the police made the request, the ship really had no choice.

 

Paul Noble

[tomc]

Yeah, I see your point. However...

 

If he were to even attempt any shenanigans with the kids on board.

Given that it was a lengthy HAL cruise, if he said, "Come here often, little girl?" it couldn't be to anyone under 50 or 60. ;)