The 23rd U.S. Marshal of the Southern District of West Virginia was sworn in Friday afternoon before a crowd of friends, family and dignitaries.
Michael Baylous, a former lieutenant and public information officer for West Virginia State Police, took the oath of office on Friday in the ceremonial courtroom at the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse.
"This is my dream job," Baylous said. "This is such a wonderful experience to have so many people that I love and so many people that I admire that were here today to celebrate this with me."
Before starting at the State Police in 1994, Baylous served in the Marine Corps Reserve in Cross Lanes.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., recommended Baylous for the role, and President Donald Trump nominated him in September.
This nomination was approved in February by the U.S. Senate.
Baylous said he thinks the U.S. Marshals Service can bring back hope to communities affected by the opioid epidemic.
"We want to continue to work with our law enforcement partners, federal, state and local, and we want to track down these fugitives that are here, these miscreants in our communities that are destroying our communities," Baylous said.
"We want to eradicate them from our communities and restore hope so that we can enjoy our way of life here in West Virginia."
To tackle the problem of drug addiction, he said "We need to have the courage, the attitude and the perseverance to stand strong."
Baylous said there needs to be a multi-pronged approach to combat drug problems. This approach includes education, early intervention, treatment and recovery.
"All those aspects need to work in concert," he said.
Created in 1789, the U.S. Marshals Service is the "enforcement arm of the federal courts," according to its website.
According to the website, some of the duties of U.S. Marshals include:
Apprehending federal fugitives
Protecting the federal judiciary
Operating the Witness Security Program
Transporting federal prisoners
Seizing property acquired by criminals through illegal activities.