Rep. Mark Ericks’ (Snohomish) law enforcement career spanned over thirty years before he came to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2005. But a return to law enforcement appears imminent now that President Barack Obama has nominated Rep. Ericks to be a U.S. Marshal for Western Washington. The nomination was announced yesterday. He will now have to be confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate.
A life-long Washingtonian, Rep. Ericks is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and a former Bothell Chief of Police. Some of the highlights of his law enforcement career include arresting Carl Harp – the notorious “Bellevue Sniper” – in 1973, which was the first freeway sniper case in the U.S. The story was turned into a made-for-TV movie. He also led a team that solved the “George Russell” serial murder case in 1990, which ended up being the subject of a Discovery Channel special.
Here in the House, Rep. Ericks is known as the vice-chair of the Ways & Means Committee, and an often outspoken champion of working families and small businesses. His colleagues honored him with a floor resolution as the 2010 Session was drawing to a close, as he is one of several retiring House members.
With a Senate confirmation in his future, we bet Rep. Ericks retirement will be anything but dull. Although he will be missed here in the House, Washington will be fortunate to have someone with his experience as the U.S. Marshal for our region.
