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Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer to Leave the Hill

(Bill Clark/Roll Call File Photo)
(Bill Clark/Roll Call File Photo)

After more than a decade of service on Capitol Hill, the Senate’s top law enforcement officer is stepping down.  

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance W. Gainer will depart this spring, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid  announced Thursday afternoon. The Nevada Democrat appointed Gainer in late 2006. He previously served as chief of the Capitol Police, a post he’d held since 2002. Gainer is the only person ever to have held both jobs.  

“Terry has spent 47 years of his life dedicated to law enforcement at the federal, state, and city level and throughout his years of military service,” Reid said in a statement on the Illinois native who served in Vietnam and spent the early years of his law enforcement career with the Chicago Police Department.  

“I know he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Irene, their six children, and 14 grandchildren, and also to pursuing private sector opportunities,” Reid continued. “Terry is one of the finest public servants I have ever met and I am grateful for all he has done for our community.”  

Gainer’s seven year tenure make him the longest-serving sergeant-at-arms since World War II. He previously served on the Illinois State Police and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Gainer was also second in command of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department.  

The longtime public servant did not immediately respond to inquiries from CQ Roll Call about his future ambitions.  

In the statement announcing his departure, Gainer said “serving the Senate family and the Capitol community has been a rare privilege” and noted that the SAA organization “continues to exceed expectations.”  

Replacing Gainer will be his deputy of seven years, Drew Willison, who previously served as a senior staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee.  

Former Secret Service Assistant Director Michael Stenger will be appointed as the next deputy sergeant-at-arms. He has been with the office since 2011.

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