Carson City – Governor Jim Gibbons today announced the selection of Rick Eaton, currently Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the federal Department of Homeland Security, as Director of the Nevada Department of Homeland Security.  Eaton will replace former Director Lawrence Martines, who resigned this month.

“Rick Eaton has distinguished himself during a nearly 30-year career in federal law enforcement.  His experience has given him an ideal mixture of familiarity with the federal Department of Homeland Security and knowledge of Nevada.  I am pleased to bring a man of such qualifications back home, where his expertise will greatly advance our efforts to protect Nevadans,” said Governor Gibbons.

In his more than 29 years of service in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and Immigration Customs Enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security, Rick Eaton has overseen investigations of illegal activities ranging from drug smuggling and money laundering to human trafficking.  His current jurisdiction as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Sacramento includes eastern California and all northern Nevada.  His numerous awards include two United States Senate commendations for outstanding leadership and contributions to the community and the Department of Justice.  In addition, Eaton became the first INS officer to receive a national award from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives for outstanding accomplishments in criminal justice.

Eaton also has an outstanding record of community service, particularly in his volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America.  In Reno in 1994, he established the first Boy Scout troop ever chartered to the Justice Department.  He became the first Nevadan to win the Spirit of Scouting Award, and was later named one of the 60 Outstanding Scoutmasters in the United States. 

Eaton served as Special Agent in Charge of Investigations in Reno from 1994 until 2000, and he still considers Reno home.  He makes a weekly commute to his office in Sacramento, which he is eager to shorten to a daily half-hour drive to Carson City.  Eaton will retire from federal service on August 3^rd.  He begins his job as Nevada’s Director of Homeland Security August 6^th. 

“I am looking forward to coming home,” said Eaton.  “I am also eager to apply my talents to the challenges Nevada faces in protecting our homeland.  I’m an inclusive manager; I like to bring everybody on board.  I believe I can improve communication among our state’s law enforcement agencies and the federal government, which is vital to homeland security.  I also look forward to helping build our department into a proactive force that will help protect Nevadans from any threat.”