Norm Maleng served as the King County, Washington

King County, Washington

King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....

, Prosecutor

Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

 for 28 years. He was also an architect of Washington's Sentencing Reform Act.

Career

Maleng was born in Acme, Washington

Acme, Washington

Acme is a census-designated place in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 246 at the 2010 census.Acme is located in the South Fork Valley between the northern Cascade Mountains and Lake Whatcom...

, and grew up on a dairy farm. Known as "Kim" during his youth and to those close to him throughout his life, he graduated from the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

 in 1960, then served as an officer in the military. He obtained his law degree in 1966 from the University of Washington Law School, was elected as Prosecutor in 1978, and was re-elected seven times.

Maleng was involved in a number of high-profile cases, most notably the 1983 Wah Mee Massacre

Wah Mee massacre

The Wah Mee massacre was a mulitiple homicide on February 18, 1983, in which Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Wai-Chiu "Tony" Ng, and Benjamin Ng gunned down 14 people in the Wah Mee gambling club. Thirteen of their victims lost their lives, but one survived to testify against the three in the high-profile...

, the 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting committed by Naveed Afzal Haq

Naveed Afzal Haq

Naveed Afzal Haq is a convicted murderer who was convicted for the July 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting.- Murder and hate crime conviction :...

, and the serial murders of Gary Ridgway

Gary Ridgway

Gary Leon Ridgway is an American serial killer known as the Green River Killer. He murdered numerous women in Washington during the 1980s and 1990s, earning his nickname when the first five victims were found in the Green River. He strangled them, usually with his arm but sometimes using ligatures...

, known as the Green River Killer.

He ran for the Republican nomination for Governor of Washington in 1988 and 1996. In 1992, he lost an election for Attorney General

Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...

 to Christine Gregoire

Christine Gregoire

Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington...

.

Maleng is credited with bringing several large scale policy reforms to Washington State's Criminal Justice system including passage of the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act, tougher penalties for car thefts in 2007 and rethinking the prosecution of low level drug offenses by placing emphasis on treatment options after a first or second offense, rather than lengthy prison sentences.

Legislative accomplishments

• In the 1980s, Maleng supported reform of Washington State's sentencing system, turning it from an indeterminate parole system to a determinate scheme based upon the seriousness level of the current offense and a defendant's criminal history.
• In the 1990s, Maleng led the effort to crack down on drug offenders with longer sentences to fight the crime waive associated to violent drug dealing. Maleng later led an effort to reduce some of the longer drug sentences in lieu of treatment options for first and second time drug offenders. Maleng won support for his proposal to dedicate the money saved from the long incarcerations to long term treatment.
• In 2005 Maleng targeted chronic car thieves with his Car Theft Initiative (CTI). He dedicated deputy prosecutors to pursuing the most prolific car thieves in King County. Working with police agencies, the Prosecutor's Office targeted the "Top 20" car thieves in King County. After gaining convictions on all 20, the group pursued the next "Top 20". Maleng also went to Olympia and convinced the Legislature to increase the penalties for car thefts. These increased penalties combined with the concentrated efforts of police and prosecutors caused a dramatic drop in reported car thefts in King County from over 17,000 in 2005 to under 8,000 in 2008. Washington State has since dropped from 6th in the Nation in auto auto thefts to 26th in 2008.

Death and honors

Maleng died of cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...

 during an event at the University of Washington on May 24, 2007.

In December 2007, the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent

Kent, Washington

Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...

, was renamed in his honor.