Black History Month Employee Reflection – Acting U.S. Marshal Lasha Boyden

As we make our way through another memorable trip through Black History Month, and look forward to Women’s History Month in March, the United States Marshals Service (USMS) reflects on one of our most engaging Marshals, who has served with the agency for over two decades.

Lasha Boyden, Acting United States Marshal for the Eastern District of California (E/CA), has received several accolades for her work within the USMS, most notably the Impact Sac Heart Award in 2022, the International Chiefs of Police 40 under 40 Award in 2020 as well as being the first acting U.S. Marshal African American Woman in the state of California. February also marks the four-year anniversary since Lasha Boyden has taken up the mantle of Acting U.S. Marshal for the district.

Boyden continues to be a shining beacon to her community by engaging with students, organization leaders and business owners to spread awareness on the mission and responsibilities of the U.S. Marshals Service, and how her personal story of joining law enforcement can inspire other young people to follow in her footsteps to be a U.S. Marshal too.

“I have always had a passion for fairness and justice for those who are at a disadvantage,” Boyden recalled. “From the moment I started the U.S. Marshals Co-op Program while I was in college, I knew I wanted to be a part of this organization.”

Boyden worked her way up from the ground floor of the USMS eventually making her way to E/CA in 2016 as the Assistant Chief, becoming Chief Deputy in 2019 to now being the acting Marshal.

“I believe I was given this opportunity because of the district’s accomplishments,” she says. “Whether it was references from judges or the U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledging how well the district was being run under my leadership, the judiciary really wanted a Marshal for this district, and they proceeded to call me Marshal even though, at the time, I was still Chief Deputy.”

Under Boyden’s leadership, her district has undertaken several successful operations, such as the re-patriotization and quarantining of U.S. citizens returning from abroad at Travis Air Force Base during the early days of the Coronavirus outbreak, Operation Washout, a U.S. Marshal-led initiative that targets fugitive gang members, and Operation Triple Beam.

“These operations were a collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement partners coming together to arrest some of the most violent fugitives,” Boyden says. “The support of our state and local partners in the area made a huge impact on their success.”

During the 41st Director’s Awards, four members of E/CA were recognized for their performances under Acting Marshal Boyden’s leadership, drawing attention from United States House Representative Doris Matsui.

Ultimately, Boyden says people can do whatever they want to do if they are willing to make the sacrifices. During her time with the U.S. Marshals Service, Boyden has relocated five times to accommodate her career and to those who ask her how she was able to move up so often she says she had the support of her mentors, family, and friends to pursue her goals and dreams.

“I have had the opportunity to work with an amazing leadership team in the Eastern District of California and I truly love them,” Boyden says. “They lift me up and we lift each other up, along with the rest of the staff who are always willing to go the extra mile to meet the mission of the agency.”

To bring Boyden’s story full circle, she was able meet up again with her former Marshal, Marshal Jesse Seroyer Jr. from the Middle District of Alabama (M/AL), at a Marshals and Chiefs training seminar in Montgomery, AL. where they now stand as equals. Marshal Seroyer took Boyden under his wing in 2002 during her time in the co-op program she enrolled in when she attended Alabama State University.

The most important message Boyden wants to leave people with is the promise that she will always be there to inspire others to help them achieve their goals no matter how daunting they might appear.