U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Grand Junction, Tuesday again urged FBI Director Louis Freeh to add Alan "Monte" Pilon and Jason Wayne McVean to the FBI’s "Ten Most Wanted" list, saying the two men continue to "clearly pose an enormous threat to both civilians and members of the law enforcement community."

McInnis faxed his first letter to Freeh June 8 and spoke with him about that request last week, according to a press release issued by his office.

Pilon, 30, of Dove Creek, and McVean, 26, of Durango, have eluded searchers for 20 days after allegedly shooting Cortez Police Officer Dale Claxton May 29. A third suspect, Robert Mason, 26, of Durango, was found dead June 4 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound near Bluff, Utah, after wounding a San Juan County, Utah, sheriff’s deputy.

Searchers continued to use a bloodhound Wednesday in an effort to find corpses in the canyons west of Cortez. Authorities said they have no information that suggests the two suspects are dead, but they’re not ruling out any possibilities.

According to Ed Cogswell, a FBI public affairs spokesman, McInnis is not following the normal procedure for placing suspects on the list.

"The request generally comes from a field office, which in this case would be Denver, and that request is then sent to FBI headquarters," Cogswell said.

A criminal investigator makes a request to Robert Bryant, FBI deputy director, who makes the final decision regarding if a suspect should be placed on the list, according to Cogswell.

Cogswell said Pilon and McVean fit two of the criteria for being included on the list, namely that publicity could assist in their apprehension, and they are considered a menace to society.

In his letter to Freeh, McInnis said the two suspects should be added to the list now, because of the possibility that they had moved to other areas of the country where their faces are less familiar.

The "Ten Most Wanted" list, which was started in 1950, includes a photograph and a narrative about each suspect. The suspects’ identities are publicized across the country through a campaign using newspapers, television stations and other media, Cogswell said.

One of the problems with adding Pilon and McVean to the list is the fact that there are currently ten people on the list, according to Cogswell, although the FBI has done a special edition of the list for suspects like McVean and Pilon.

"The purpose of the list is publicity," he said. "We do this when the trail is cold, or we’re looking for public cooperation in the investigation, to get leads."

Meanwhile, the FBI’s reward for information leading to Pilon and McVean’s arrest remains at $50,000, according to Javier Morgado, a spokesman at the FBI press office. Cortez Crimestoppers is also offering a $13,000 reward, bringing the total reward to $63,000.