U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Phil Scott have recommended Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose to President Trump to become Vermont’s next U.S. Marshal.
If nominated and confirmed, LaRose would oversee all U.S. Marshals Service operations in Vermont. With offices in Burlington, Rutland, and Brattleboro, the Marshals Service is responsible for apprehending fugitives and sex offenders as well as managing federal prisoners and protecting federal courthouses.
In their letter to the president, Scott and Leahy emphasized the importance to Vermont of the federal partnership role in combating the addiction to heroin and other opioids, and Chief LaRose’s valuable experience in that effort.
They wrote: “Brad understands the challenges of this epidemic and the value of interagency coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. As a police chief, Brad has contributed personnel to the joint drug task force and helped his officers transition into, and out of, undercover work. … Brad has the experience, leadership credentials, and character to serve in this important role.”
Leahy and Scott noted that Chief LaRose is well regarded in his community, where he has served Essex as a police officer for more than 36 years, including more than five years as chief of police. They cited the fact that he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
As a Republican and a Democrat, respectively, Scott and Leahy worked together in a bipartisan process to identify and interview a range of highly qualified and well-respected candidates to serve as U.S. Marshal for Vermont. As the most senior Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that considers nominations related to law enforcement, Leahy has the privilege of suggesting candidates for U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, and other positions in Vermont to the President.
The Marshals Service, created in 1789, is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. The Marshals Service takes the lead in security of the courts and the entire judicial system and is involved in virtually every federal law enforcement initiative, working with federal prosecutors and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
