A new presidential administration may mean a new U.S. Marshal for Oregon

President-elect Barack Obama may still be sorting out his cabinet level appointments, but he will soon be charged with naming local law enforcement officials.

In addition to U.S. Attorney, Obama will need to decide who will be Oregon’s next top cop; the U.S. Marshal.

Former Brigadier General in the Oregon National Guard and current U.S. Marshal Dennis Merrill was appointed by George W. Bush in 2002 after serving for over two decades in the National Guard and the Portland Police Bureau.

Calls to a spokesman for Merrill regarding if the veteran law enforcement official would be interested in staying on for Obama’s presidential administration were not immediately returned.

The position is appointed by the president, but the name recommended to him comes from sitting senators from the incoming president’s party. So, like the U.S. attorney position, Oregon’s next U.S. Marshal may come down to whomever U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Portland) and U.S. Sen.-elect Jeff Merkley (D-Portland) want it to be.

The appointee does not necessarily have to have a law enforcement background, but most do. If Obama decides on a change in the position, then the next U.S. Marshal could come from a variety of places such as the Oregon state police. Reg Madsen, Merrill’s predecessor, was a former Oregon state police superintendant. But the next nominee could also be a county sheriff or law enforcement officer found in a variety of different public safety positions in the state.

One of the main duties of U.S. Marshal is to protect the federal courts, but the position also oversees capturing fugitives. According to the U.S. Marshal’s office, the marshals were responsible for the apprehension of 36,000 fugitives in 2007. Other duties include being in charge of transporting federal prisoners and protecting federal witnesses.