CHICAGO – U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today recommended three candidates for the position of United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois to President Obama for consideration. The three finalists are, in alphabetical order: Edward Gilmore, Joel Kirch, and Russell Laine.

“Today we are pleased to recommend three exceptional candidates to be the next U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois,” Kirk and Durbin said. “Each brings a wealth of law enforcement and managerial experience to the table, and any one of these finalists would be well-qualified to lead this important office. We offer our gratitude to the members of our bipartisan selection committee for their outstanding work and their willingness to serve.”

The Finalists:

Edward Gilmore has served as the Chief of the Calumet City Police Department since 2008. He previously worked for over 20 years at the Drug Enforcement Administration and for 10 years as an officer in the Chicago Police Department where he served on the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force. He is a past president of the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police, and he currently serves on the board of directors of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force.

Joel Kirch is currently serving as the Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. He previously served from 2013-14 as the Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the NDIL, and overall he has served with the U.S. Marshals Service for 25 years, including 16 years in senior management. Among his postings, he served as the Chief Inspector of the USMS Investigative Operations Division from 2011-13, where he helped develop and institute a High-Risk Fugitive Apprehension Program, and as Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Indiana from 2005-08.

Russell Laine has been the Chief of Police for the Algonquin Police Department since 1985. He previously served as Chief of Police in Bartlett, IL and Edgerton, WI. He is a past president of the McHenry County Chiefs of Police Association, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Corpsman from 1969-71, and he received a J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.

The Screening, Recommendation and Nomination Process:

The three finalists are the same as those recommended by the Senators’ bipartisan screening committee. The screening committee was empaneled in September and asked to aid Senators Kirk and Durbin in the search for the next United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois.

The screening committee was comprised of five distinguished Illinoisans drawn from the federal judiciary, the bar, and law enforcement. The committee was chaired by Orland Park Police Department Chief Tim McCarthy. The other members of the committee were the Honorable Wayne Andersen (ret.), the Honorable Arlander Keys (ret.), Lori Sweeney and David Weisman. More information about the members of the screening committee is available here.

The screening committee conducted an open application process and screened applicants with the goal of recommending candidates of top quality and integrity to Senators Kirk and Durbin. The committee interviewed applicants and formally recommended the finalists to Senators Kirk and Durbin in October.

Over the course of October and November, the Senators reviewed the screening committee’s recommendations, conducted interviews of finalists and – in consultation with one another – agreed on the list of names being provided to the White House today.

Once the President submits a nomination to the U.S. Senate, the nominee will be reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Senator Durbin is a member, and will receive a vote in the committee. The approval of both home state Senators is required for the Senate Judiciary Committee to take up and consider a U.S. Marshal nominee. If a nomination is approved by the Judiciary Committee, the nomination will be sent to the full Senate for consideration.

Until a new U.S. Marshal is confirmed by the Senate, Joel Kirch will serve as Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois.

###