Thursday, March 29th

TRAINING MAJOR RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

            Major James A. Murphy, Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Training at the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, is the recipient of the National Sheriffs’ Association [NSA] Director’s Award for his work creating a Jail Evacuation Planning & Implementation training course. The course material helps officials create evacuation plans to deal with terrorist attacks, all hazards events and natural disasters for small, medium, and large jails in both urban and rural settings.
            Major Murphy received the award during a NSA Instructor re-certification luncheon in Daytona Beach, Florida on March 15th. Major Murphy said, “It was a surprise, I am not one for awards, but I have been with the program for sometime.” Murphy has been involved with NSA Training since 2001 and is one of 60 NSA instructors.
            Murphy developed the course along with NSA Program Coordinator Mike Jackson, Sheriff Joseph Oxley and Undersheriff Ted Freeman of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Sheriff’s Office as part of NSA’s broader Weapons of Mass Destruction Training.
            As an instructor of the Jail Evacuation Planning & Implementation course Major Murphy leads day-long lectures and role playing seminars for corrections officers, wardens, and other emergency responders all across the country. Most recently, he provided Louisville, Kentucky officials with:
■ materials to assists in the development of a jail evacuation plan
■ exercises to test and improve the plan
■ contingency plans and post-event actions
■ facility assessment and prioritization of tasks for a successful jail evacuation
■ latest information on terrorism threats

            After learning of Major Murphy’s award, Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald Jr. noted, “The Department is very proud of Major Murphy. He’s truly an asset to the county and we are happy to share his expertise on the national level.” The Major along with his fellow course creators will make a presentation on Jail Evacuation Planning at the 2007 America Jail Association Conference in Nashville this May.
            You can find more information about the National Sheriff’s Association online at www.sheriffs.org.

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