Washington Business Spring 2018 | Washington Business | Page 22

washington business
In Their Words
The eldest of seven siblings and a runaway from an unsteady and sometimes-violent home at age 17, Congressman Dave
Reichert is preparing to retire from his 14-year career in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his five decades of public
service — from the U.S. Air Force Reserve to King County Sheriff and now congressman for Washington’s 8th District — he
may be best known for his work to find and capture the most prolific serial killer in United States history, Gary Ridgway,
also known as the Green River Killer, which he chronicled in a book. Reichert spoke with staff writer Bobbi Cussins earlier
this year. He shared how his difficult childhood shaped what he calls his “heart of a servant” and path in public service, and
how his deep faith has steadied him in uncertain times and guided him in unexpected directions.
You have served Washington state citizens in many
capacities — the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as King County
Sheriff and now congressman. What drew you to public
service?
I have a memory of the first time I thought about helping people in my
younger years, when I was 8 or 10 years old. I knew growing up that
I wanted to do something that had to do with people, where I had to
interact with people and where I could be in a position to help people
in whatever capacity. I’m the oldest of seven and ran away from home
when I was a senior in high school. I think just being the oldest and
having a tough childhood, domestic violence and that sort of thing, I
was drawn to helping my younger brothers and sisters. I think that
inspired me to go on to careers in public service.
In your five decades of public service to Washington state,
what accomplishments are you most proud of?
Of course, I would have to say the King County Sheriff ’s Office
and the capture and resolution of the most prolific serial killer in
the history of this country as the lead detective and the sheriff on
that case. I don’t think anything can top that. It was a once-in-a-
lifetime experience that I don’t wish on any homicide detective
in this country. But, it fell on me and the great team I had around
me. It took us 19 years, but we were able to arrest Gary Ridgway,
the Green River Killer, and put him in prison. He pled guilty to 49
murders and we closed 51 cases, and he’s probably responsible for
around 60 to 70 murders of young girls and women. I’ve written
a book on it called, “Chasing the Devil,” and a prime-time movie,
“The Capture of the Green River Killer,” was based on it. There
have also been a lot of documentaries on that case. There are a lot
of cases I can think of at the sheriff ’s office where I saved a life;
I’ve helped somebody. That’s literally, in that job, life and death
decisions. I’ve had my throat slashed in a domestic violence call
22 association of washington business
where I saved the life of a woman whose husband was
trying to kill her.
My biggest accomplishment in Congress is creating
offices that focus on truly serving the people. When you
go beyond that, serving the people means passing laws that
help people, that help small businesses start and thrive and
hire more workers and innovate — all those things we’ve
been recognized for by AWB over the years. To me, that’s
a big piece to helping people. Those pieces of legislation
affect people and their lives. They impact the community
in a positive way by giving people hope and creating
opportunities, so people can afford to stay in their homes
and send their kids to good schools, or starting businesses
where they can hire people. It all ties together. It’s all about
giving people opportunity and freedom of choice to own
their own business or get a good-paying job, and have hope
for the future.
How did your work in the sheriff’s office translate
to your work in Congress and what legacy do you
believe you’re leaving behind?
That job was very different from Congress. The way I look at
my current job is bringing those skills and talking to people
from all levels of the economic strata — from poorest of the
poor to the richest of the rich — and having that ability to
communicate. I think that is one of the strengths that helped
me be successful in Congress. When you look at Congress,
most members might say, “my biggest accomplishment is
this piece or that piece of legislation,” but what I would
say is that we came into this trying to change the culture
of Washington, D.C., and maybe every member does that.
But, we really put an emphasis on our four core values of
leadership, integrity, service and teamwork. Our main focus