[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 13, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S693-S694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO U.S. MARSHAL DAVID DEMAG

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, one of the great privileges in serving in 
the U.S. Senate is the ability to make recommendations to the President 
with respect to important nominations for posts in our States. I was 
pleased 4

[[Page S694]]

years ago to recommend to President Obama the nomination of David Demag 
to be Vermont's U.S. Marshal, and to help move his nomination through 
the Judiciary Committee and Senate confirmation. In fact, he was the 
first U.S. Marshal to be confirmed during the Obama administration.
  Since his confirmation, Marshal Demag's tireless devotion to reducing 
crime rates in Vermont has helped make my home State a safe and 
comfortable home for its residents.
  Marshal Demag began his career in 1971 as a patrol officer for the 
Burlington Police Department, where he rose through the ranks as 
corporal, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and later, commander. I have 
known Marshal Demag throughout his career. He served as chief of police 
for both the Essex and St. Albans Police Departments. He also was a 
member of the Burlington Police Department. He has been a leader in 
Vermont in the fight against rural crime, and has spent his life and 
career devoted to public service.
  As a U.S. Marshal for Vermont, Dave Demag has remained dedicated to 
arresting the State's most wanted fugitives and sex offenders and his 
work in establishing the Vermont Violent Offender Task Force has 
expanded the ability of the U.S. Marshal's office to catch violent and 
habitual sex offenders. The task force has not only served as a tool 
for bringing law enforcement officials throughout the State together, 
but has also improved Vermont's track record for fugitive arrests to 70 
percent while reinvesting assets seized from criminals to address the 
needs of State and local law enforcement. These results are making a 
real difference in the lives of Vermonters across the State and should 
serve as a model for how Federal and State law enforcement can work 
together around the country.
  One of Vermont's local news stations, WCAX, recently ran a story 
highlighting these accomplishments, and I ask unanimous consent that a 
copy of that story be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my 
remarks. I look forward to Marshal Demag's continued partnership with 
state and local law enforcement in Vermont.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. LEAHY. I look forward to Marshal Demag's continued partnership 
with State and local law enforcement in Vermont.

                               Exhibit 1

                   [WCAX--Vermont, January 28, 2013]

               U.S. Marshals making an impact in Vermont

                         (By Jennifer Reading)

       Burlington, VT.--Five faces represent Vermont's most 
     wanted. Two have been caught, but the remaining three 
     fugitives are prime targets for the U.S. Marshals Service.
       ``It's a real good area to attack to make our communities 
     safer here in Vermont,'' said David Demag, who was appointed 
     by President Obama to head the U.S. Marshals Service's 
     Vermont Division.
       Three months ago he created the Vermont Violent Offender 
     Task Force. The operation expanded the Marshals' mission to 
     include tracking down violent and habitual sex offenders. 
     Statistically--these criminals pose a greater risk to the 
     public. ``The ones who are out of compliance top that list 
     and are more likely to re-offend,'' Demag said.
       Demag said dedicating a full time team to taking down non-
     compliant sex offenders--on top of its regular fugitive 
     finding mission--meant adding a state trooper and a UVM 
     police officer to the task force. But he said the plan is 
     working. Since October they've arrested 39 federal and 40 
     state fugitives. In 2012 fugitive arrests for state offenses 
     jumped by 70 percent. ``This is not a place where fugitives 
     or sex offenders can come and hide,'' said Chief Deputy U.S. 
     Marshal Bill Gerke.
       That's the message the task force sent to three high 
     profile out-of-state fugitives on the run in Vermont. The 
     Marshals found Philip Barr hiding out in Hardwick. He was 
     wanted for a Florida murder. Robert Mulkern was arrested in 
     Windsor for a Maryland sex assault and 149 counts of child 
     pornography. And Clifford Moore was nabbed on his way to the 
     airport, fleeing murder, sex assault and terrorism charges. 
     Although the task force gives priority to federal fugitives 
     identified as the ``worst-of-the-worst,'' they'll also adopt 
     state and local cases if there's a violent component to the 
     crime. The Marshals have the tools, expertise and time that 
     their state counterparts lack. ``We are here as a resource 
     for them,'' Demag said.
       Two weeks ago they helped local authorities locate Shane 
     Phillips, a Johnson man wanted for more than a decade for 
     various violent crimes. He was hiding behind a false wall in 
     his family's home. ``The spirit and the actual cooperation 
     has never been better than it is presently,'' Gerke said. The 
     life-long Deputy Marshal said interagency cooperation is the 
     key to slowing down the state's ongoing violent crime and 
     preventing out-of-state organized crime from getting a 
     foothold in Vermont. ``Vermont will not harbor that type of 
     activity,'' he added.
       The task force is funded by the federal government. Assets 
     seized from the criminals are then reinvested in state and 
     local law enforcement--paying overtime if they help with 
     compliance checks--as well as outfitting them with critical 
     safety equipment and vehicles.

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