Trisha Volpe is ready to report Petters verdict whenever it happens
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
There are four Toms, two Garys, two Bobs, two Mikes, a Greg and a Butch.
I'm sure I'm missing a few names, but these are the guys who greet us reporters (and everyone else for that matter) at the entrance to the federal courthouse in downtown St. Paul every single day.
And if you're keeping count, this is day 21 of Tom Petters' federal fraud and money laundering trial.
The gentlemen I speak of are smiling, friendly and accommodating. They are also charged with the task of keeping the building safe and secure. They are special deputies with the U.S. Marshal Service.
These guys run security and the metal detector, they cycle through the courtrooms during proceedings and they keep watch at all four corners of the building.
I mention them today because they haven't been mentioned before during all of our Petters coverage, but they are just as much a part of the way the system works as the judges and lawyers.
Most of the marshals are retired police officers. They tell them me this is an opportunity to stay connected and to continue to give back to their communities. We talk about the trial, about family and friends...anything continuing their lives as peace officers long after they could have hung up the badge for good.
And frankly, these gentlemen know the ins and outs of this place. I have appreciated their guidance, insight and humor tremendously over the last several weeks.
I hear the beep of the security machine behind me as I write....
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