Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network

Massachusetts Police News, Information and Discussions on MassCops

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Hillman nominated for U.S. marshal

Bush taps former head of state police

STURBRIDGE— President Bush has nominated Sturbridge resident Reed V. Hillman, a former head of the state police, to be the next U.S. marshal for the district of Massachusetts.

A lawyer, Mr. Hillman, 58, served 5-1/2 years as a state representative. Last year, he was the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.“We think he is well-qualified for this position and urge the Senate to confirm him,” White House spokesman Trey Bohn said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The appointment would be for four years, according to Mr. Bohn, who did not have information about how much the marshal’s job pays.

“Mr. Hillman has an extensive background in law enforcement, including a 25-year career with the Massachusetts State Police. He has the full faith and support of the president,” the spokesman said.

Mr. Hillman had agreed to an interview at 5 p.m. yesterday, a family spokesman said, but he received a call from the Bush administration in the afternoon advising him not to talk with the press because his nomination would be coming before the Senate.

A call placed to U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., yesterday, seeking information on when the Senate Judiciary Committee would consider Mr. Hillman’s nomination, was not immediately returned. Mr. Leahy is the committee chairman.

Mitt Romney, former governor and current candidate for the Republican nomination for president, asked the White House in 2005 to consider Mr. Hillman along with four others for the marshal’s job.

A primary function of the U.S. Marshal Service is protecting evidence, court personnel and jurors, and transporting prisoners. If confirmed, Mr. Hillman would oversee the three federal courthouses in Massachusetts.

The state’s two U.S. senators, Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, both Democrats, said they would oppose Mr. Hillman’s nomination, according to a report published yesterday in The Boston Globe.

Mr. Kennedy said citizens have a right to expect “that political considerations are not unduly affecting law enforcement administration,” and that Mr. Bush’s selection of Mr. Hillman “does not meet that criteria.”

Paxton Town Administrator Charles T. Blanchard, a Republican and a former Sturbridge selectman, questioned the senators’ judgment on the matter.

Mr. Hillman “is extremely intelligent, honest, hard-working and fully committed to anything he undertakes,” Mr. Blanchard said yesterday. “I can’t imagine a more qualified person. Based on their reaction to Reed’s (nomination), Senators Kennedy and Kerry must have him confused with someone else.”

After receiving a law degree from Suffolk University, Mr. Hillman, joined the state police as a trooper in 1974. He rose through the ranks, serving as corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. William F. Weld, then governor, tapped Mr. Hillman to lead the 2,600-person state police organization, naming him colonel in 1996.

Mr. Hillman, a former resident of Newton, hung up his badge in 1999. He won a special election that year for state representative serving the 1st Hampden District until 2005. He chose not to seek re-election, stating at the time he wanted to replace George Luciano, who had retired as regional director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but the job went to someone else.

Last year, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Murphy Healey, who was running for governor, chose Mr. Hillman as her running mate, but the tandem lost the November election, ending 16 consecutive years of Republican control of the governor’s office.

---

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Worcester T&G Letter to the editor

Monday, July 23, 2007

Hillman deserves support of senators

Our U.S. senators from Massachusetts should be ashamed of themselves for their transparent lack of support of Reed V. Hillman for the position of United States marshal for Massachusetts

I cannot help but wonder who could be more qualified for this position. Mr. Hillman possesses a law degree from Suffolk University. His 25-year career with the state police culminated with his retirement after serving with distinction as the head of that organization. He rounded out his résumé serving nearly six years as a state representative, choosing to step down and eventually run for lieutenant governor.

I trust that the other 98 Senators will be able to view Mr. Hillman’s qualifications objectively without partisan politics.

NANCY CANDITO

Dudley

Worcester T&G Letter to the editor

Hillman qualified to be U.S. marshal

The recent opposition by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry to Reed V. Hillman’s appointment as the U.S. marshal for the commonwealth goads me to respond. Mr. Hillman is qualified for the position President Bush has nominated him for, and our elected senators’ party-line opposition is “bush league.” As a police officer, I had occasion to work for Mr. Hillman when he was the colonel of the State Police.

It is the opinion of most people I speak with that not only is it his law-enforcement experience, but also his personal integrity that qualifies him for the marshal’s position. Maybe Mr. Hillman should consider running for Kennedy’s or Mr. Kerry’s seat after his service as the U.S. marshal.

I’m appalled that the backroom politics of the commonwealth will try to impose itself at the expense of the taxpayers by attempting to block Mr. Hillman’s nomination. I doubt that anyone in the commonwealth would be better prepared than Reed V. Hillman to fill the position as our U.S. marshal.

RONALD S. GRAY

North Brookfield

---

Posted by: masscopguy

This is just partisan politics. Kennedy and Kerry have no chance of preventing Hillman from being appointed given his career as a State Trooper his education and his service in the legislature although they may be able to slow it down.

The Marshall's job has always been a bastion for politico's. Years ago, Ronald Regan was set to appoint longtime Boston City councilor Dapper O'Neill to the position but it was nixed by the local Yankee Republican types.

There has been talk of reforming the way the US Marshall's are selected by requiring they come up the ranks of the agency or other federal law enforcement agencies.

---

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hillman unlikely to get job

Committee returns marshal nomination
Reed V. Hillman and Kerry Healey are seen in Worcester in this 2006 file photo.


Reed V. Hillman’s nomination for U.S. marshal for Massachusetts appears to be in more serious trouble than originally thought after the Sturbridge Republican was the only appointee rejected by the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Since June 28, when President Bush nominated the former state police colonel, state representative and lieutenant governor candidate, the appointment has been jeopardized because of vocal opposition from the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry.

But on Aug. 3, when the Senate went on recess, the committee — whose chairman is Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont — sent Mr. Hillman’s appointment back to the president, rendering the appointment dead unless Mr. Bush re-nominates Mr. Hillman next month.

Dozens of other judicial branch appointments were “held over” during the recess, meaning they are still pending.

The president can also take the highly unusual step of handing Mr. Hillman a “recess appointment,” which does not need Senate approval. Such appointments are usually reserved for higher-level positions such as judgeships or ambassadorships to major countries.

The return of Mr. Hillman’s nomination means there is no one currently proposed for the marshal’s job, said Erica Chabot, a spokeswoman for Mr. Leahy.

“Technically, this nomination is over,” Ms. Chabot said. “It is no longer pending before the committee. We sent it back to the president. It’s up to him now.”

A White House spokesman declined to comment on the nomination.

Mr. Hillman has also consistently refused to speak publicly about the appointment, citing the administration’s desire to let the nomination process take its course.

Backers of Mr. Hillman, however, are hoping that the president will again put forth his name when the Senate reconvenes, or even slip through a recess appointment.

While Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Kerry say the marshal’s job should be removed from patronage and subjected to a qualifications-based hiring process, Mr. Hillman’s supporters, who include many Bay State Democrats, have argued that Mr. Hillman, who is also a lawyer, is as qualified as anyone could be.

State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, a friend and former colleague, called the judiciary committee move “unfortunate. It’s too bad,” he said. “Reed Hillman is qualified.”

“I’d love to see the president re-nominate him, and, barring that, and although it’s extremely rare, give consideration to a recess appointment,” said Massachusetts House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. of North Reading.

Mr. Kennedy’s opposition “is completely political,” Mr. Jones alleged.

Last week, Mr. Jones sent to the judiciary committee a letter of support for Mr. Hillman signed by 41 Democratic legislators and all 24 Republicans in the Statehouse. The letter has had no practical effect because both Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Kerry failed to return the “blue slip” indicating the home state senators’ support for a presidential nominee.

Even so, both senators see little abnormal in the appointment being returned and expect the president to put Mr. Hillman’s name in play again in September.

“We can do better when it comes to picking a federal marshal for Massachusetts,” Brigid O’Rourke, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kerry, said.

---

Posted by: PBC FL Cop

Thursday, August 16, 2007

But Senator, Wyatt Earp isn’t available

Dianne Williamson
T&G STAFF

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s objection to the politically-driven process of appointing a U.S. marshal would be admirable, if it weren’t so politically driven.

“It is important for the people to have confidence that political considerations are not unduly affecting law enforcement, and I look forward to hearing from you on how we can work together,” Mr. Kennedy wrote to President Bush in March.

It’s also important for “the people” — that’s us — to understand that Mr. Kennedy is laying it on with a trowel, that his letter came well after the media reported in 2005 that Reed V. Hillman’s name had already been submitted to the White House for consideration as U.S. marshal for Massachusetts.

Mr. Kennedy seemed to have had no such qualms about political patronage in the 500 years he’s served in the Senate. Only, now that the ultraqualified Mr. Hillman has been nominated for U.S. marshal, has Mr. Kennedy and his junior senator lap dog voiced opposition to the appointment and a disingenuous desire for a non-politicized process.

The controversy could be viewed as tiresome if not for the disheartening partisan politics at play. Quite simply, the Republican Mr. Hillman is not qualified in the eyes of our two Democratic senators because he belongs to the wrong party. There’s no other reason. And this relatively small issue raises a bigger question — can we ever move beyond the growing polarization of our political parties and regain some trust that our leaders mean what they say — that their words are linked not to partisan calculation but to political clarity?

In this case, the answer is a resounding no. As soon as President Bush nominated Mr. Hillman for the post in June, both senators pounced on the respected nominee like hungry — albeit exceedingly silly —lions.

“Mr. Hillman does not meet the criteria,” claimed Mr. Kennedy.

“I will gladly join Sen. Kennedy in opposing this terrible appointment,” said Sen. John Kerry.

The subject of this “terrible appointment” is the squeaky-clean, smart, ethical and much-admired man who rose from the ranks to become head of the 2,600-member Massachusetts State Police. He has a law degree and a 25-year, distinguished career. He represented Sturbridge in the Legislature for six years and last year ran unsuccessfully on the Republican ticket for lieutenant governor.

Is anyone more qualified than this man to be U.S. marshal, other than Wyatt Earp?

He’s held in such universal high regard that 41 Democratic state legislators took the unusual step of defying Mr. Kennedy by signing a letter of support to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. One of them, state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, has known Mr. Hillman for years and has publicly urged Kennedy and Kerry to withdraw their opposition.

“At 59 years old, I like to think what’s right is right and damn the torpedoes,” Mr. Brewer said yesterday. Of Mr. Hillman, he said, “He can strike you as a hard-ass desk sergeant from ‘Hill Street Blues’ but he’s incredibly ethical, smart and professional. Other than the fact that he fell off his bicycle in 1964 and became a Republican,” he’s practically perfect, Mr. Brewer said.

This is the same Mr. Brewer who drew the ire of the acting U.S. marshal last month when he told The Boston Globe, “There’s a reputation at the marshal’s office for feet up on the desk. When Reed Hillman takes over, the feet will come off the desks and everyone will get to work.”

The Marshals Service is responsible for securing courthouses and protecting judges, other court officials and witnesses. It also plays a role in transporting prisoners and capturing fugitives. Since 9-11, the office is also involved in anti-terrorism efforts. Traditionally, the job has gone to a prominent political figure from the same party as the president, who typically allows local political figures to reach a consensus on a candidate.

Enter Mr. Kennedy, whose opposition has served as a death knell for the appointment. Last year, he also established criteria for marshals that stipulate they have experience protecting court personnel.

If you look beyond the semantics, Mr. Hillman has gads of experience protecting lots of personnel, including those of the court. He commanded 2,600 troopers and a $210 million budget — surely he can handle the oversight of 200 marshals.

“I don’t condemn Sen. Kennedy for wanting higher standards for the U.S. marshal,” Mr. Brewer said. “But he has to justify his opposition better. If he can’t, I believe it’s a political thing.”

He has urged Mr. Kennedy to give Mr. Hillman “15 minutes of face time” in an effort to convince the senator of what most people already know — regardless of his party affiliation, Reed Hillman would make a fine marshal.

If Mr. Kennedy refuses?

“I’m disappointed,” Mr. Brewer said with a sigh. “But I’m a grown-up. I understand that this is how things work in the world. It’s a loss, though, for the agency Reed Hillman applied to.”

Even Diane Williamson is backing Hillman, how can Kennedy and Kerry be against his appointment????

---

Posted by: Inspector

Isn't it interesting that some say that U.S. Marshal Service is flawed because the marshals in each district are appointed by the President.
The Marshal Service is no different from any other federal agency. The Director of the F.B.I., Attorney General of The United States, Director of Homeland Security, etc etc. are all presidential appointees who oversee the career employees. If we were to follow this logic we'd have to say the State Police was flawed since the Secretary of Public Safety is appointed by the governor. We recognize that there are politically connected people put at the top of the agency for a period of time because of their connections. It's good that some actually have worked the streets.Those who haven't mostly recognize their position with the agency and simply sit back, collect their checks, and let that soldiers do their job. They should also function as a conduit to explain agency needs to the top politicians.

---

vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.
vB Easy Archive Final ©2000 - 2008 - Created by Stefan "Xenon" Kaeser