Terrance Gainer Named Senate Sergeant-at-Arms
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Former Capitol Police chief Terrance W. Gainer was named yesterday as the U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms, a job that once again will put him at the forefront of protecting Congress in an age of terrorism.
Gainer replaces William H. Pickle, a former Secret Service official who had served since 2002.
In his new position, Gainer will head the three-member board that oversees the Capitol Police. Gainer led the 2,300-member police force from 2002 until last spring, when he stepped down amid questions of nepotism involving his son-in-law. Colleagues said Gainer was frustrated by frequent sparring with House staff members.
Gainer said he was offered the sergeant-at-arms job Friday by Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who is expected to take over in January as Senate majority leader.
"I think I was too dumbfounded to talk," Gainer said in an interview yesterday. He accepted, he said, because "it was the opportunity to serve again, and continue what was begun up there" by Pickle.
Gainer has a long history in law enforcement. Before heading the Capitol Police, he was second-in-command of the D.C. police. He previously worked as a homicide detective in Chicago and led the Illinois State Police in the 1990s.
His new responsibilities extend beyond police work: The sergeant-at-arms acts as the chief operating officer of the Senate, with approximately 950 staff members who run Senate telecommunications, information technology, postal services, the TV and radio recording studio and the media galleries. The Senate pages and doorkeepers are also his responsibility.
Pickle, who was named sergeant-at-arms by the previous Republican majority, was full of praise for his successor. "Terry Gainer is not only one of my best friends," he said, "but probably one of the most dedicated public servants I know."
