Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy (ret.) served as the top police executive in multiple jurisdictions, including New York City, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Washington, DC; and Syracuse, New York, and served within the US Department of Justice. He subsequently led the Police Foundation (predecessor of the National Policing Institute) as its second president from 1973-1985.
Commissioner Murphy addressed systemic corruption and led major reforms that foreshadowed an era of community and neighborhood policing. Based on these actions, he earned a reputation as a bold reformer who encouraged and used research to challenge the status quo from within the profession. He has been described as āperhaps the most influential police leader over the past half-centuryā and remembered for controversial but significant changes that proved to be ahead of their time. Examples of advancements included ordering officers not to shoot at looters during the civil unrest of the late 1960s in Washington, DC, AND effectively challenging permissive use of force policies decades beforeĀ Tennessee v. Garner (1985). He also used his national prominence to push for greater education and training of police officers.
In praise of Commissioner Murphy, former NYPD Commissioner William J. Bratton was quoted in theĀ New York TimesĀ as saying: āIn a profession that has very few giants, it is safe to say [Murphy] was a giant in policing.ā In his bookĀ CommissionerĀ and elsewhere, Commissioner Murphy reflected on leading change and the resentment often faced as a result by noting that reformers do not seek these changes because they dislike policing or police officers but rather because of their love for the profession.
