Col. Paul Grimstad, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol, said Monday he is interested in a job as Montana's next U.S. marshal.

Grimstad, who has headed the patrol for more than four years, joins three other people who have already publicly expressed their interest in the federal post, which pays almost $108,000.

Grimstad said he has sent letters of intent to U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, both Montana Democrats, about the post.

"I've sent out some applications and that's one of them," Grimstad said.

Grimstad was tapped to run the patrol in 2004, by Attorney General Mike McGrath, a Democrat. However, Attorney General-elect Steve Bullock, also a Democrat, could choose to replace him.

"I'm anxious to give something else a shot," said Grimstad, who has been with the patrol for more than 25 years.

Grimstad is a University of Montana and Federal Bureau of Investigations Academy graduate.

The U.S. marshal is the top federal law enforcement officer in each state. Marshals are appointed by the president. It is customary in Montana and other states that when a president of another political party takes office, he appoints a U.S. attorney and marshal from his own party rather than retain the previous appointees.

Montana's two Democratic senators, Baucus and Tester, will make recommendations to Obama about the Democratic replacements for both positions.

The current U.S. marshal, Dwight MacKay, was appointed in 2002 at the recommendation of then-Sen. Conrad Burns, a Republican.

Montana's Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg has asked Obama to consider keeping MacKay, saying he has done a good job for the last seven years.

Other people interested in the marshal post are:

- Dennis McCave, who has worked for the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office for 30 years and now oversees the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

- Ed Tinsley, a Democrat who was defeated for re-election last month as Lewis and Clark County commissioner. He is a graduate of the Montana Law Enforcement Academy who worked as chief of securities enforcement for the State Auditor's Office.

- Ron Tussing, the mayor of Billings and former chief of the Billings Police Department. Tussing last month lost an election to unseat Republican Commissioner Brad Molnar, who represents District 2 on the Public Service Commission.