FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP (Somerset County) — Sometimes it must feel good to not be wanted.

Over four days last week, 3,901 people from across New Jersey lined up for hours outside the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Franklin to turn themselves in at the Fugitive Safe Surrender program.

But about 550 people, or 14 percent, learned they weren’t wanted on any kind of warrant.

"Oddly enough, that’s true," state parole board spokesman Neal Buccino said today. "For some people, this seemed to be a way to check: Do I have a warrant or not? Or maybe some people didn’t know they had a case dismissed."

Regardless, the event in Franklin was one of the most successful in the country.

The U.S. Marshals Service started Safe Surrender five years ago, allowing people wanted for nonviolent crimes such as traffic violations or minor drug charges to surrender in return for "favorable" treatment. Most avoid jail time, instead receiving probation or a reduced fine.

Franklin’s turnout was the fourth-largest of the 25 cities that have hosted the program. Only Cleveland (7,431 people), Detroit (6,578) and Newark (4,103) have drawn more.

Officials were anticipating about 2,500 people would surrender in Franklin. They said the tally is all the more striking because a major city like Boston drew only about 250 people earlier this year.

"It proved to be an overwhelming success," New Jersey Attorney General Paul Dow said of the Franklin event.

Dow said more people may have been drawn to Lincoln Gardens because of its famed pastor: the Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries, a former New Jersey secretary of state who once ran for Congress.

Buccino admitted that because the turnout was larger than anticipated, people were being processed a little slower than usual the first few days.

Many had their cases heard by judges at the McKinley Community School across Route 27 in New Brunswick. But as planned, others were given vouchers for a later court date.

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This was the third straight year New Jersey has hosted the program. Before last year’s session in Newark, Camden drew 2,245 people in 2008 — the initiative’s fifth-largest turnout.

In all, 10,249 people surrendered during the state’s three events, which were funded by federal and state money. But state Parole Board Chairman James Plousis said New Jersey has no plans to hold another anytime soon.

In Franklin, the person with the largest number of outstanding violations was a woman with 90 traffic tickets.

Twenty people were arrested over the four days — all of whom were wanted for violent crimes, had a history of violent crimes or had outstanding warrants from other states.

Critics question whether it’s fair for fugitives to run for years and end up receiving a more lenient sentence. But officials say Safe Surrender has three major benefits: It saves the state millions of dollars it would take to jail these people; it keeps fugitives from having to run; and it keeps police from having to mount dangerous searches.

"We know chases often end badly," said Plousis, a former U.S. Marshal. "We didn’t have to chase any of these 4,000 people who surrendered here."