[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 22 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E241-E242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING U.S. MARSHAL MARK TUCKER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2004

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
one of North Carolina's most respected law enforcement officers, a man 
whom I am proud to have called a friend.
  Deputy Mark Reid Tucker served our community as both a Wake County 
Sheriff's Deputy and a U.S. Marshal for eastern North Carolina. No 
matter the rank, law enforcement was a job he loved--and a job he did 
exceedingly well. He was killed in the line of duty earlier this month 
at 49 years of age.

[[Page E242]]

  Always equipped with a strong sense of right and wrong, Mark thought 
of law enforcement as a calling. It was a job that suited him 
perfectly.
  Mark joined Wake County's Sheriff's Department in 1976. I first knew 
him as the president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of 
Police, and he has championed the interests of rank and file law 
enforcement officers from that position since 1988. After serving with 
the Sheriff's Department for some 20 years, Mark's lifelong interest in 
politics spurred him to pursue a federal marshal appointment in the 
Clinton administration. It was a long, hard battle, but Mark showed 
characteristic stamina as the process dragged out for several years. 
When his nomination appeared indefinitely stalled because of partisan 
battles over Presidential appointments, President Clinton decided to 
use a rarely invoked recess appointment privilege, and Mark went on to 
be confirmed to a full term as U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of 
North Carolina on May 24, 2000. There is no federal appointment that 
has given me more satisfaction, both because we worked on it so long 
and because Mark served with such dedication and distinction.
  Mark was thrilled to be a part of the U.S. Marshals Service. He took 
security very seriously, working with local judges, Federal agencies, 
and my office to ensure that the courthouse was brought up to the 
standards for Federal judicial facilities. He also recognized that he 
had a responsibility to maintain good relations with the community. 
Taking on the role of an unofficial goodwill ambassador for the 
Marshals Service, Mark usually carried a deputy's badge in his pocket 
that he could award to a smiling child or interested citizen. When 
President Clinton left office, Mark returned to the beat in Wake 
County, going back to his roots and to the people who had long relied 
on his commitment to the job.
  Mark was only the fourth officer to be killed in the line of duty in 
the Wake County Sheriff's Office's 71-year history, and the 
overwhelming response of his fellow officers makes clear how acutely 
they felt his loss. An entire community of law enforcement officers--
from the DEA to the Marshals Service to local deputies--came together 
to find the person responsible, making an arrest within 48 hours. They 
said it was the least they could do for the deputy they described as 
``well-respected,'' ``dedicated,'' and ``a gentlemen, as well as a 
friend.'' Close to 1,500 people from law enforcement across the State 
attended his memorial service.
  Mark leaves behind his loving parents, Dallas and Virginia Tucker, 
his wife Patricia, and sons Chad and Matthew. This tragedy has thrust 
the whole family into the media spotlight, and Patricia in particular 
has spoken of her husband and the circumstances surrounding his death 
with courage, compassion, and dignity.
  Mark Tucker perfectly exemplified the dedication of our law 
enforcement community, and his death is a reminder of the risks these 
officers take for us every single day. But Mark was one of a kind, a 
unique combination--a cop's cop, a skilled political leader, an active 
and engaged citizen, a solid family man, a magnetic personality. His 
death is a great loss for the community, and we will miss him terribly. 
May we find comfort in the outpouring of affection and respect and 
gratitude that his memory has brought forth.

                          ____________________