Officer of the Month: Special Kent police unit takes down WMW fugitive outside club -- right before he was about to rap
KENT -- The Kent Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit did a great job several weeks ago arresting former top WMW fugitive, Harold Murphy, who we featured last June after convictions for theft and promoting prostitution. Kent police acted quickly when they got an anonymous tip from a WMW viewer -- that he was set to rap at a nightclub: Photos snapped after his arrest show Murphy cuffed instead of holding a microphone. Kent Asst. Chief Pat Lowery says, "I believe he was pretty upset by the fact that the police were able to grab onto him so quickly, certainly we put a crimp into his weekend.” Lowery says the Special Investigations Unit was ready for Murphy when he showed up at ‘Benchwarmer’ in Ken. "They're a hardworking group. They don't let moss grow under their feet whatsoever. When they get good information, they act on it, and act decisively.” Detectives did their homework and knew Murphy would be rolling up in a convertible Mercedes. "He showed up and was getting out of his car when our detectives were on top of him. They were able to safely get him into custody, secured inside the patrol vehicle before pretty much even the crowd even knew what was happening." Asst. Chief Lowery says the unit would not have given up if Murphy had not shown. "When we start to go after someone as a result of a Washington's Most Wanted or Crime Stoppers tip, that chase doesn't stop at the end of the evening. If we're unsuccessful that first night, we continue in that effort because we want to make sure we do full justice to the information that's relayed to us by the public. " While we can't show you the ‘plain clothes’ officers involved in Murphy's capture, their commander says the recognition is appreciated. "They love their job,” says Cmndr. Erik Hemmen. “They love to put bad guys away, and to me, they are one of the best units in the department.”