James A. Murphy III
Encyclopedia
James A. Murphy III, a Republican
(also endorsed by the Independence
and Conservative
parties), is the elected District Attorney
for Saratoga County, New York
. Murphy is responsible for prosecuting all crime, including felonies, misdemeanors and violations in Saratoga County. In addition to his prosecutorial duties, he supervises assistant district attorneys, an investigations unit, a crime victim unit, and a large support staff. The district attorney represents the People of the State of New York
in 44 justice courts across the county, in superior court, and before the grand jury. Under the constitution, the district attorney is the chief law enforcement officer of the police agencies having jurisdiction within the county. His office prosecutes nearly 10,000 criminal cases each year and nearly 90,000 vehicle and traffic offenses in a county with a population of more than 220,000 people, immediately north of Albany, NY the state capital.
Murphy first joined the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office in 1988 as an assistant district attorney
. He was appointed First Assistant District Attorney in 1996. He ran for the position of district attorney in 1997 and was sworn in on January 2, 1998, becoming one of the youngest district attorneys in New York State. He successfully ran for re-election in 2001, 2005, and 2009. In all, he has served for over 23 years as a prosecutor
. His grandfather, former United States Congressman Carleton J. King
served as the Saratoga County District Attorney from 1956-1960.
in Lewiston, Maine
in 1983. He received a Juris Doctor
from Pace University School of Law
in New York in 1986. During his second year of law school he attended University College London Law Faculty
, England, where he took courses in international law, company law and law of the European Economic Community.
During that time he was employed by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and worked in particular for a Member of Parliament, Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, of Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
, ultimately becoming his assistant and part time speech writer. On 13 September 2007 it was announced that Wallace was to be appointed to the House of Lords
.
In 2000 Murphy graduated from the FBI Citizen’s Academy and was presented his credential by FBI Director Robert Mueller
.
In 2011 Murphy he earned an Executive Education Certification from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
and is an educated but non-practicing attorney, and James A. Murphy, Jr. of Brooklyn, NY, who earned his bachelor's degree from Williams College
in Massachusetts and his juris doctor from Albany Law School
an attorney practicing at the time in Saratoga Springs for the firm of King and Duval and later serving as mayor of Saratoga Springs. He later was a principle of the firm of King, Murphy, Adang, and Arpei, a general practice firm in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Murphy is the grandson of the late former Congressman Carleton J. King
, who served as a member of the United States Congress
from 1961–1974, after which President Gerald Ford appointed him Chairman of the Board of Visitors of West Point Military Academy.
. Upon being admitted to the New York State Bar, he became an associate of the firm, specializing in domestic and international intellectual property
law.
He has been a leader in establishing misdemeanor and felony drug court for offenders who are addicted to controlled substances or alcohol. He has instituted these courts, along with NY State's Road to Recovery program, for repeat, nonviolent felony offenders. These courts are not available to defendants who are dealers and profiting from the sale of narcotic drugs. During Murphy's tenure, the Saratoga County Drug Treatment Court has diverted hundreds of participants into treatment and away from correctional facilities, helping individuals rejoin the work force and saving incarceration expenses. He works closely with members of the judiciary to appropriately screen addicts for judicial diversion to keep jail cells available for those who commit violent crime.
Murphy has also created specialized domestic violence prosecution courts in the cities of Saratoga Springs, Mechanicville and the town of Clifton Park. These courts handle hundreds of cases each year and defendants serve longer sentences because of Murphy's focus on domestic violence prosecution. Murphy has a unit of special assistant district attorneys and victim advocates to work with victims of domestic violence. Additionally, he has adopted the Integrated Domestic Violence Court model, which allows matrimonial, criminal and family court actions to be consolidated before one judge. This one family-one judge standard for victims of domestic violence has been called one of the "best practices" in NYS by the Center for Court Innovation.
Murphy serves as the chair of the Domestic Violence Task Force, the Crime Victims Advocacy Unit, and the Sexual Assault Forensic Nurse Examiner Program to help victims of rape and sexual abuse. He has developed specialized prosecutorial units, including Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Guns, Gangs and Violent Crime, DWI, White Collar Crime, and Fraud.
During his tenure, Murphy has created a Narcotics and Forfeiture Prosecution Unit and created a Drug Enforcement Task Force of local law enforcement agencies, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department, and the New York State Police. This initiative developed into a specially designated Northern Branch of the Drug Enforcement Task Force, focusing on the Capital District and Saratoga, Washington, and Warren counties. It is supported in large part by the sheriffs of those counties and brings millions of dollars in forfeited funds to law enforcement and government agencies taken from drug dealers.
On a routine basis, Murphy brings county law enforcement professionals together for collaboration and sharing of equipment and personnel to more efficiently deliver investigative and prosecutorial resources to the residents of Saratoga County, New York
.
He has strengthened the DA’s office’s relationship with the largest law enforcement agency in the state, the New York State Police
. With the assistance of the Superintendent of the New York State Police, he established the new position of a NYSP Senior Investigator assigned to the District Attorney's Office.
Murphy is a graduate of the FBI National Citizens' Academy, which involved an eight-week curriculum focusing on federal law enforcement issues.
Perhaps the best-known case Murphy prosecuted was against notorious murderer, Sylvain Turcotte, who was sentenced in 1995 to back-to-back life sentences for the brutal murder of his wife and mother-in-law. To this day, this is the single longest sentence in the history of Saratoga County.
Murphy has transformed the district attorney's office from a group of part time assistants with limited technology in 1997 to a large number of professional full-time assistant district attorneys who operate in a state-of-the-art facility.
The multi-step program involves an escalating series of responses to chronic truancy. The most serious cases result in contact with the DA's office, which informs students and parents about the possibility of prosecution. More than 225 families have complied without the need to file criminal charges. The program has resulted in marked improvement in student attendance and academic achievement and a reduction in the dropout rate. School truancy experts have called the program “one of the most non-traditional relationships we have seen between the district attorney’s office and school truancy,” the program is not about putting people in jail, but is instead about prevention.
Murphy has also led the Saratoga County School Violence Task Force to help ensure the safety of school children. He initiated an anti-gang collaboration among law enforcement, schools, and the community to keep gang violence from spreading to Saratoga County.
Locally, he collaborated with the Saratoga Springs City School District Superintendent in 2007 to co-host a first-of-its-kind Educational Summit. Together with the Partnership for Prevention, the summit helped the school community identify risks associated with substance use, learn more about the developmental reasons for risk-taking behavior by adolescents, and engage in ongoing conversations about youth and the challenges they face today.
At the post-graduate level, Murphy has reached out to area law schools to recruit interns to help assistant district attorneys with special research and writing projects, and to allow interns an opportunity to become certified by the appellate division to prosecute criminal cases as students while being supervised by the prosecutors.
He has co-sponsored the "Safe Haven" program, encouraging mothers to place unharmed infants at medical facilities within a short period after birth without fear of criminal prosecution. He joined with the 62 other district attorneys in the state and as a result of this legislation, 8 newborns have been saved and turned in to one of the safe havens rather than being the victim of abandonment and possible death.
He has promoted gun safety through a Trigger Lock Giveaway, in which free trigger locks were distributed in Saratoga County along with gun safety literature.
He has distributed over 10,000 donated cell phones for domestic violence victims and senior citizens to quickly make 911 emergency calls.
and its affiliate, The Empire State College
Foundation, Domestic Violence Services-Rape Crisis of Saratoga County,The Prevention Council, CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services,Leadership Saratoga, and Saratoga Center for the Family.
DA Murphy is a member of the NYS Supreme Court's 4th Judicial District Law Library Board and a New York State co-chair of Fight Crime-Invest in Kids Inc., a statewide, bi-partisan, non-profit, anti-crime organization of more than 300 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders, and violence survivors whose efforts include combating bullying and cyber crime. Through this organization, Murphy promoted the Safe and Stable Families Program, preschool programs for crime prevention, and other educational initiatives.
Murphy is also active in the New York State Bar Association
and has served on its Executive Committee for Criminal Justice. He has served as a member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association and is a past president and executive board member of the Saratoga County Bar Association.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors and as past President of the New York State District Attorneys' Association, Murphy led the state's 62 district attorneys to work on statewide criminal justice initiatives. His efforts resulted in criminal justice reform and Rockefeller Drug Law Reform. He has testified on a number of occasions before the New York State Legislature, the Sentencing Reform Commission, and the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force and is a frequent lecturer at Albany Law School
, the Federated Bar Association, District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, and the New York Prosecutors' Training Institute.
Murphy is a former board member of the New York Prosecutors' Training Institute, which trains prosecutors across the state in evidence, trial tactics, skills and writing.
Murphy also sits on the Jane Doe No More Advisory Board, an organization that works to ensure proper treatment of the victims of sexual assault; provide education and training tools for use by law enforcement, medical and legal professionals; and provide guidance to victims and their families. In April 2007, Murphy and Palomba appeared on Dateline NBC
’s segment entitled "The Man Behind the Mask", detailing the attempted abduction of Saratoga Springs High School track star Lindsey Ferguson. DA Murphy was closely involved in the case of now-convicted kidnapper John Regan for crimes he committed in Connecticut and New York States.
In 2003, Governor Pataki appointed him to the prestigious NYS Commission on Forensic Science, which monitors forensic laboratory compliance with state accreditation standards. He was re-appointed to this post in 2009 by Governor Patterson. As a member of the NYS Commission on Forensic Science, Murphy assisted in creating standards and protocols for the DNA databank.
Governor Pataki and Governor Spitzer appointed him to serve on the New York State Domestic Violence Advisory Board in 2001 and 2007, respectively in an effort to assist the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to establish best practices for police and victims in order to hold batterers accountable for their criminal conduct.
Murphy joined the faculty at Albany Law School
as an adjunct professor in 2005, teaching courses in investigation, charging decisions, preliminary hearings, grand jury presentations, suppression hearings, trial advocacy, trial practice, plea bargaining and summation strategies. He teaches Criminal Trial Practice I and Criminal Trial Practice II for upper level students.
He serves as NYS Co-Chairperson of Crime: Invest in Kids, Inc., investing resources to combat bullying and cyber crime. Promoted the Safe and Stable Families Program and pre-school programs for crime prevention and other educational efforts
live in Saratoga Springs with their two daughters and their black Labrador retriever.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(also endorsed by the Independence
Independence Party of New York
The Independence Party is an affiliate in the U.S. state of New York of the Independence Party of America. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994...
and Conservative
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
parties), is the elected District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
. Murphy is responsible for prosecuting all crime, including felonies, misdemeanors and violations in Saratoga County. In addition to his prosecutorial duties, he supervises assistant district attorneys, an investigations unit, a crime victim unit, and a large support staff. The district attorney represents the People of the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 44 justice courts across the county, in superior court, and before the grand jury. Under the constitution, the district attorney is the chief law enforcement officer of the police agencies having jurisdiction within the county. His office prosecutes nearly 10,000 criminal cases each year and nearly 90,000 vehicle and traffic offenses in a county with a population of more than 220,000 people, immediately north of Albany, NY the state capital.
Murphy first joined the Saratoga County District Attorney's Office in 1988 as an assistant district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
. He was appointed First Assistant District Attorney in 1996. He ran for the position of district attorney in 1997 and was sworn in on January 2, 1998, becoming one of the youngest district attorneys in New York State. He successfully ran for re-election in 2001, 2005, and 2009. In all, he has served for over 23 years as a 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...
. His grandfather, former United States Congressman Carleton J. King
Carleton J. King
Carleton James King was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.King was born in Saratoga Springs, New York. He graduated from Union College and Albany Law School in 1926. He was an assistant district attorney of Saratoga County, New York from 1942 until...
served as the Saratoga County District Attorney from 1956-1960.
Education
Murphy graduated from Saratoga Springs Schools in 1979. He earned his bachelor's degree from Bates CollegeBates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
in 1983. He received a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Pace University School of Law
Pace University School of Law
Pace University School of Law, known colloquially as "Pace Law School", is the law school of Pace University, a comprehensive, independent, and diversified university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County...
in New York in 1986. During his second year of law school he attended University College London Law Faculty
University College London Law Faculty
The UCL Faculty of Laws is one of the 10 constituent faculties of University College London . It is one of the world’s premier law schools, renowned for the quality of its teaching and its cutting-edge legal research...
, England, where he took courses in international law, company law and law of the European Economic Community.
During that time he was employed by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and worked in particular for a Member of Parliament, Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, of Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, ultimately becoming his assistant and part time speech writer. On 13 September 2007 it was announced that Wallace was to be appointed to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
In 2000 Murphy graduated from the FBI Citizen’s Academy and was presented his credential by FBI Director Robert Mueller
Robert Mueller
Robert Swan Mueller III is the 6th and current Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation .-Early life:...
.
In 2011 Murphy he earned an Executive Education Certification from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Family history & background
James A. Murphy III was born in Saratoga Springs on October 13, 1961 to Constance King Murphy, who earned her bachelor's degree from The College of St. Rose and attended Albany Law SchoolAlbany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
and is an educated but non-practicing attorney, and James A. Murphy, Jr. of Brooklyn, NY, who earned his bachelor's degree from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Massachusetts and his juris doctor from Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
an attorney practicing at the time in Saratoga Springs for the firm of King and Duval and later serving as mayor of Saratoga Springs. He later was a principle of the firm of King, Murphy, Adang, and Arpei, a general practice firm in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Murphy is the grandson of the late former Congressman Carleton J. King
Carleton J. King
Carleton James King was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.King was born in Saratoga Springs, New York. He graduated from Union College and Albany Law School in 1926. He was an assistant district attorney of Saratoga County, New York from 1942 until...
, who served as a member of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
from 1961–1974, after which President Gerald Ford appointed him Chairman of the Board of Visitors of West Point Military Academy.
Career prior to public service
Prior to joining the district attorney's office Murphy was a law clerk and then a summer associate at the firm of Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan, Kurucz, Levy, Eisele and Richard, one of the oldest international antitrust and trade regulation law firms in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Upon being admitted to the New York State Bar, he became an associate of the firm, specializing in domestic and international intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
law.
Accomplishments as district attorney
Since 1998, the office has one of the highest conviction rates for felony indictments and one of the lowest rates of violent crime in New York State.He has been a leader in establishing misdemeanor and felony drug court for offenders who are addicted to controlled substances or alcohol. He has instituted these courts, along with NY State's Road to Recovery program, for repeat, nonviolent felony offenders. These courts are not available to defendants who are dealers and profiting from the sale of narcotic drugs. During Murphy's tenure, the Saratoga County Drug Treatment Court has diverted hundreds of participants into treatment and away from correctional facilities, helping individuals rejoin the work force and saving incarceration expenses. He works closely with members of the judiciary to appropriately screen addicts for judicial diversion to keep jail cells available for those who commit violent crime.
Murphy has also created specialized domestic violence prosecution courts in the cities of Saratoga Springs, Mechanicville and the town of Clifton Park. These courts handle hundreds of cases each year and defendants serve longer sentences because of Murphy's focus on domestic violence prosecution. Murphy has a unit of special assistant district attorneys and victim advocates to work with victims of domestic violence. Additionally, he has adopted the Integrated Domestic Violence Court model, which allows matrimonial, criminal and family court actions to be consolidated before one judge. This one family-one judge standard for victims of domestic violence has been called one of the "best practices" in NYS by the Center for Court Innovation.
Murphy serves as the chair of the Domestic Violence Task Force, the Crime Victims Advocacy Unit, and the Sexual Assault Forensic Nurse Examiner Program to help victims of rape and sexual abuse. He has developed specialized prosecutorial units, including Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Guns, Gangs and Violent Crime, DWI, White Collar Crime, and Fraud.
During his tenure, Murphy has created a Narcotics and Forfeiture Prosecution Unit and created a Drug Enforcement Task Force of local law enforcement agencies, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department, and the New York State Police. This initiative developed into a specially designated Northern Branch of the Drug Enforcement Task Force, focusing on the Capital District and Saratoga, Washington, and Warren counties. It is supported in large part by the sheriffs of those counties and brings millions of dollars in forfeited funds to law enforcement and government agencies taken from drug dealers.
On a routine basis, Murphy brings county law enforcement professionals together for collaboration and sharing of equipment and personnel to more efficiently deliver investigative and prosecutorial resources to the residents of Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
.
He has strengthened the DA’s office’s relationship with the largest law enforcement agency in the state, the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
. With the assistance of the Superintendent of the New York State Police, he established the new position of a NYSP Senior Investigator assigned to the District Attorney's Office.
Murphy is a graduate of the FBI National Citizens' Academy, which involved an eight-week curriculum focusing on federal law enforcement issues.
Perhaps the best-known case Murphy prosecuted was against notorious murderer, Sylvain Turcotte, who was sentenced in 1995 to back-to-back life sentences for the brutal murder of his wife and mother-in-law. To this day, this is the single longest sentence in the history of Saratoga County.
Murphy has transformed the district attorney's office from a group of part time assistants with limited technology in 1997 to a large number of professional full-time assistant district attorneys who operate in a state-of-the-art facility.
Crime prevention
During his tenure, Murphy has partnered with the Saratoga Springs City School District, the South Glens Falls School District, the Ballston Spa School District and other school districts in the county to combat school truancy. By identifying parents who need help with parenting skills, utilizing the Strengthening Families Program, and working with school truancy officers, Murphy has helped increase school attendance and participation in school activities by parents and students alike. The program has been successful in reducing truancy by enabling parents to take a more active role in their child's education, identifying issues and helping to solve them on a non-criminal basis, as well as fostering better family relationships.The multi-step program involves an escalating series of responses to chronic truancy. The most serious cases result in contact with the DA's office, which informs students and parents about the possibility of prosecution. More than 225 families have complied without the need to file criminal charges. The program has resulted in marked improvement in student attendance and academic achievement and a reduction in the dropout rate. School truancy experts have called the program “one of the most non-traditional relationships we have seen between the district attorney’s office and school truancy,” the program is not about putting people in jail, but is instead about prevention.
Murphy has also led the Saratoga County School Violence Task Force to help ensure the safety of school children. He initiated an anti-gang collaboration among law enforcement, schools, and the community to keep gang violence from spreading to Saratoga County.
Locally, he collaborated with the Saratoga Springs City School District Superintendent in 2007 to co-host a first-of-its-kind Educational Summit. Together with the Partnership for Prevention, the summit helped the school community identify risks associated with substance use, learn more about the developmental reasons for risk-taking behavior by adolescents, and engage in ongoing conversations about youth and the challenges they face today.
At the post-graduate level, Murphy has reached out to area law schools to recruit interns to help assistant district attorneys with special research and writing projects, and to allow interns an opportunity to become certified by the appellate division to prosecute criminal cases as students while being supervised by the prosecutors.
Major accomplishments
Murphy has collaborated with the Parents Who Host Lose the Most initiative, an anti-underage drinking campaign with the goal of educating parents and teens about the dangers of underage drinking. The campaign raises awareness about the legal implications of hosting underage parties - specifically that providing alcohol to a minor is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail.He has co-sponsored the "Safe Haven" program, encouraging mothers to place unharmed infants at medical facilities within a short period after birth without fear of criminal prosecution. He joined with the 62 other district attorneys in the state and as a result of this legislation, 8 newborns have been saved and turned in to one of the safe havens rather than being the victim of abandonment and possible death.
He has promoted gun safety through a Trigger Lock Giveaway, in which free trigger locks were distributed in Saratoga County along with gun safety literature.
He has distributed over 10,000 donated cell phones for domestic violence victims and senior citizens to quickly make 911 emergency calls.
Awards & honors
- In 2009, Murphy received the Fight Crime Invest in Kids Award for his work protecting New York's Children.
- In 2009, he received the Distinguished Service Commendation from the Saratoga Springs Police Department for raising the standards for prosecutors and dramatically increasing the number of cases prosecuted.
- In 2004, he received the Child Advocate of the Year award from Saratoga Center for the Family for his help in raising over $1.2 million to build a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) for the treatment, support and care of young victims of sexual abuse and assault. The CAC was created specifically so that counseling, medical personnel and law enforcement can convene at a single location to deliver services.
- In 2000, he was honored with a Spirit of Justice Award from the United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
for his outstanding service to crime victims.
- Also in 2000, he received the Distinguished Service Award from The Prevention Council for his dedication to education and prevention initiatives.
Professional affiliations
Murphy serves and has served on many boards of directors, including the State University of New YorkState University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
and its affiliate, The Empire State College
Empire State College
Empire State College, one of the thirteen arts and science colleges of the State University of New York, is a multi-site institution offering associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. It is primarily oriented towards the adult learner...
Foundation, Domestic Violence Services-Rape Crisis of Saratoga County,The Prevention Council, CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services,Leadership Saratoga, and Saratoga Center for the Family.
DA Murphy is a member of the NYS Supreme Court's 4th Judicial District Law Library Board and a New York State co-chair of Fight Crime-Invest in Kids Inc., a statewide, bi-partisan, non-profit, anti-crime organization of more than 300 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders, and violence survivors whose efforts include combating bullying and cyber crime. Through this organization, Murphy promoted the Safe and Stable Families Program, preschool programs for crime prevention, and other educational initiatives.
Murphy is also active in the New York State Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
and has served on its Executive Committee for Criminal Justice. He has served as a member of the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association and is a past president and executive board member of the Saratoga County Bar Association.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors and as past President of the New York State District Attorneys' Association, Murphy led the state's 62 district attorneys to work on statewide criminal justice initiatives. His efforts resulted in criminal justice reform and Rockefeller Drug Law Reform. He has testified on a number of occasions before the New York State Legislature, the Sentencing Reform Commission, and the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force and is a frequent lecturer at Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
, the Federated Bar Association, District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, and the New York Prosecutors' Training Institute.
Murphy is a former board member of the New York Prosecutors' Training Institute, which trains prosecutors across the state in evidence, trial tactics, skills and writing.
Murphy also sits on the Jane Doe No More Advisory Board, an organization that works to ensure proper treatment of the victims of sexual assault; provide education and training tools for use by law enforcement, medical and legal professionals; and provide guidance to victims and their families. In April 2007, Murphy and Palomba appeared on Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
’s segment entitled "The Man Behind the Mask", detailing the attempted abduction of Saratoga Springs High School track star Lindsey Ferguson. DA Murphy was closely involved in the case of now-convicted kidnapper John Regan for crimes he committed in Connecticut and New York States.
In 2003, Governor Pataki appointed him to the prestigious NYS Commission on Forensic Science, which monitors forensic laboratory compliance with state accreditation standards. He was re-appointed to this post in 2009 by Governor Patterson. As a member of the NYS Commission on Forensic Science, Murphy assisted in creating standards and protocols for the DNA databank.
Governor Pataki and Governor Spitzer appointed him to serve on the New York State Domestic Violence Advisory Board in 2001 and 2007, respectively in an effort to assist the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence to establish best practices for police and victims in order to hold batterers accountable for their criminal conduct.
Murphy joined the faculty at Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
as an adjunct professor in 2005, teaching courses in investigation, charging decisions, preliminary hearings, grand jury presentations, suppression hearings, trial advocacy, trial practice, plea bargaining and summation strategies. He teaches Criminal Trial Practice I and Criminal Trial Practice II for upper level students.
He serves as NYS Co-Chairperson of Crime: Invest in Kids, Inc., investing resources to combat bullying and cyber crime. Promoted the Safe and Stable Families Program and pre-school programs for crime prevention and other educational efforts
Personal
Murphy is a member of Bethesda Episcopal Church. He and his wife Laurie, a graduate of Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
live in Saratoga Springs with their two daughters and their black Labrador retriever.
See also
- List of mayors of Saratoga Springs, New York
- Carleton J. KingCarleton J. KingCarleton James King was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.King was born in Saratoga Springs, New York. He graduated from Union College and Albany Law School in 1926. He was an assistant district attorney of Saratoga County, New York from 1942 until...
- New York State Bar AssociationNew York State Bar AssociationThe New York State Bar Association , with 77,000 members, is the largest voluntary bar association in the United States.-History:The State Bar was founded with a constitution that dates to 1877...
- Harvard Kennedy School
- Bates CollegeBates CollegeBates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
- Skidmore CollegeSkidmore CollegeSkidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
- Pace University School of LawPace University School of LawPace University School of Law, known colloquially as "Pace Law School", is the law school of Pace University, a comprehensive, independent, and diversified university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County...
- House of Commons of the United Kingdom
- Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness
- House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
- District Attorneys Association of the State of New York