[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5631]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MERRILL S. PARKS JR.

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity 
to recognize the life and achievements of Mr. Merrill S. Parks Jr., the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Special Agent in charge of 
Connecticut, who recently passed away after a brief illness at the age 
of 55.
  Merrill Parks began his career with the FBI 29 years ago in Montana 
after graduating from Memphis State University. He quickly moved on to 
serve in the FBI's New York division where he worked from 1971 to 1975. 
While there, he became a supervisory Special Agent overseeing the 
investigation of organized crime and white-collar crime.
  Special Agent Parks's success as an investigator earned him a 
reputation as an expert in dealing with organized crime. By 1979, 
Special Agent Parks had been reassigned to the FBI headquarters in 
Washington, D.C. to manage the bureau's national program of identifying 
and infiltrating organized crime. He also initiated a long-term program 
that dealt with combating money laundering.
  One of Special Agent Parks most widely profiled accomplishments was 
his leadership of what became known as the Pizza Connection case. His 
experience and knowledge of the inner-workings of crime families led to 
the successful prosecution of Mafia-connected drug dealers who sold 
heroin through pizza parlors and bakeries.
  In 1986, Special Agent Parks was reassigned as an Assistant Special 
Agent in charge of Houston's FBI office. The Houston area had been 
witnessing a growth of Mexican organized crime groups attempting to 
distribute drugs throughout the United States, and Special Agent 
Parks's expertise was enlisted to help curb their illegal activities. 
Within the first year, under the guidance of Special Agent Parks, the 
Houston office solved 32 drug-related kidnappings.
  The course of Merrill Parks's career eventually brought him to 
Madison, Connecticut in 1994, where he made his home with his wife, 
Patricia. In that year, he was also appointed to head the FBI's 
Connecticut office.
  Vigorous in his determination to stop the flow of drugs and violence 
within our communities, Special Agent Parks faced the new task of 
eliminating gangs. Sadly, Connecticut, like so many other states, has 
experienced an emergence of gangs and gang-related crime in recent 
years. Special Agent Parks's work in Connecticut was no less impressive 
and, as with his previous assignments, he was, once again, successful. 
In his first year working in Connecticut, Special Agent Parks 
infiltrated one of the state's most infamous gangs, the Latin Kings, 
and arrested numerous gang leaders.
  Realizing that gangs were a long-term problem, he created a task 
force that for three years continued to monitor and collect evidence on 
gang activity. Finally, in 1997, federal charges were brought against 
20 Latin King members throughout the state, and his hard work 
ultimately led to the prosecution of dozens, helping to rid our streets 
of gang violence.
  Mr. President, although Merrill Parks only lived in Connecticut for a 
short five years, the contributions he made to the state and the 
protection of its residents will be long remembered. I appreciated his 
willingness to always keep me and my staff informed of recent 
developments within his office and his obvious concern for making 
Connecticut a safer place to live. His stay was brief but his 
accomplishments were many and on behalf of myself, and the entire state 
of Connecticut, I would like to offer our sincere thanks for his 
outstanding efforts. Merrill Parks is survived by his wife, Patricia, a 
son, Andrew, and a daughter, Meredith. I would like to extend my 
heartfelt condolences to each of them on the passing of an outstanding 
father, husband, and law enforcement officer.

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