[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MARVIN VAN HAAFTEN

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, one of the joys of my job as a 
Senator is working closely with talented, dedicated Iowans from all 
walks of life. One of the exceptional people is Marvin Van Haaften, 
director of the Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. With his 
retirement in January, he will conclude an extraordinary career in 
public service spanning over three decades.
  Marvin Van Haaften has lived in Marion County most of his life, but 
his law enforcement experience and expertise has been felt throughout 
the State of Iowa. Before being named by Governor Tom Vilsack to be 
Iowa's drug policy coordinator in December 2002, he served as Marion 
County sheriff for 18 years. He is a graduate of the FBI National 
Academy, certified as a peace officer by the Iowa Law Enforcement 
Academy, served in the National Guard, and was a licensed medical 
examiner investigator.
  One key to his success is that he speaks with the authority of a 
seasoned veteran of decades on the front line fighting crime and 
improving public safety. Marvin was named Sheriff of the Year in 1991 
by the Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association and served as its 
president in 1996. With more than 32 years of law enforcement 
experience, he has taught extensively in the field of rural law 
enforcement, particularly death investigation and domestic violence 
crimes. He has provided local and national leadership on the role of 
law enforcement in strategic victim safety and offender apprehension, 
and served on the board of directors of the National Center for Rural 
Law Enforcement. Marvin also served on many local and State committees 
such as the Iowa Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning Advisory 
Council, the board of the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, 
the board of the 18-county South Central Iowa Clandestine Laboratory 
Task Force, and was third vice president on the board of directors of 
the Iowa Association of Counties.
  As a law enforcement officer, Marvin has seen firsthand the ravages 
that domestic violence inflicts on innocent women and children. For 
that reason, he has been a committed advocate for combating domestic 
abuse. During the nineties he served on the President's National 
Advisory Council on Domestic Violence, chaired by the Attorney General 
and Secretary of Health and Human Services, setting policy and 
developing domestic abuse and sexual assault training for the Nation. 
He was also a member of Iowa's Domestic Violence Death Review Team, the 
Lieutenant Governor's STOP Violence Against Women Coordinating Council, 
and the National Sheriffs Association's Domestic Violence Committee.
  The commitment that Marvin brought to domestic violence, he also 
brought to his role as Iowa's drug policy coordinator and director of 
the Office of Drug Control Policy. As a law enforcement officer, he saw 
the destruction that drug abuse wreaks on families--the broken homes 
and ruined lives. He worked very hard at both the State and national 
level to ensure that the voices and needs of local law enforcement were 
heard. He will leave very big shoes to fill. I personally am very 
grateful for the excellence, professionalism, and long hours that he 
brought to this job.
  Marvin also realizes the importance of a healthy, supportive family 
in a person's life: Marvin has been married to his wife Joyce for 42 
years and has 5 grown children and 11 grandchildren. I am sure they 
will enjoy his retirement, but my staff and I will miss his counsel and 
his can-do attitude. I have turned to him again and again over the 
years, and he has never let me down. It has meant so much to be able to 
rely on someone of his caliber for authoritative answers and prompt 
answers.

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