Local law enforcers traded one uniform for another

When Bryan Murphy was a child, his father noted two careers he’d rather see his son avoid.
“He never wanted me to join the military,” Murphy recalled. “And he really didn’t want me to get a career in law enforcement.”
Sorry, Dad.
A 14-year career in the military preceded 20-plus years in law enforcement, including the past three as Allen County Sheriff.
Murphy figures his father — an Army veteran who also worked briefly for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department — may have been deploying some reverse psychology.
“I think he saw something in me I didn’t know I had,” Murphy said. “It seemed like military and law enforcement were the right things to do.”
Murphy is one of three veterans who serve on the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. (Deputies Travis Buck and Joe Robertson are the others.)
The ratio of servicemen to civilian officers is even higher at the Iola Police Department, where eight of the 17 officers — including Police Chief Jared Warner — have military backgrounds.,
“For whatever reason, you have a large percentage in your public service fields with prior military experience, whether they be law enforcement, fire, EMS, things like that,” Warner said. “I don’t know if it’s because of the structure such a career provides, or maybe it’s the type of individual wanting to serve. It’s probably a combination of the two.”

WARNER notes job applicants for his department who sport military service often get a closer look. In fact, vets invariably almost are guaranteed at least an interview.
“I think it shows the individual has discipline instilled in them and he knows the structure. Our structure in law enforcement is mostly paramilitary. We operate under a chain of command. Having an individual with that experience already, who understands that, there’s less for them to overcome.”
Murphy agrees those with military experience tend to show more maturity and have a clearer grasp between right and wrong.
While he doesn’t solely look at military experience when hiring deputies, having somebody who has served previously is a plus.
“The people in the military hold a special place in my heart,” Murphy said. “It takes a lot for a person to raise his right hand and swear to uphold and defend the Constitution. Not everybody can do it. It’s an honor to work with those who choose to do so. It’s a respect thing for me.”

BOTH Murphy and Warner said their military experience served them well as they embarked on full-time careers.
Murphy’s service took him to Hanau, West Germany, where he worked with an air defense artillery unit, and was part of the first certified Patriot Missile Battalion under NATO.
Patriot Missiles took center stage on the global scene during the heart of Desert Storm, when the United States and its allies used the Patriots as protection from incoming Scud Missiles launched by Iraq, primarily at Saudi Arabia and Israel.
While in the Army, Murphy noted other similarities between soldiers and cops.
In both disciplines, “if you’re given a task, you’re expected to accomplish that task,” he said. “I know my military background helped me reach my full potential.”

DEPUTY Travis Buck joined the National Guard in 2010, shortly after graduating from Crest High School.
He, too, found his time rewarding.
“The self-discipline really helped me develop maturity more quickly than I would have otherwise,” he said. “The military was my calling. It gave me a new perspective on life.”
Buck’s overseas duties included a stint in Djibouti, an impoverished nation in the Great Horn of Africa.
“It makes you appreciate everything we have here: green grass, trees, homes,” he said. “The poorest people we have here are richer than the richest people over there. It was definitely a culture shock.”
 
WARNER figured joining the Army would be the most effective path for him to get a career in law enforcement.
“That’s what I wanted to do since I was a little kid,” he said. “College really wasn’t an option finance-wise. Through the military training experience and GI bill, they provided what I wanted. The military gave me a lot of tools, and I never wavered in my dream to do something in law enforcement.”
Still, Warner realizes military history isn’t the sole determining factor on who to hire. He notes IPD has several officers who have never worn military garb.
“And they’re all good officers,” he said.

IN MURPHY’S office, behind his desk, sits a prominent oil painting by Lee Teter.
“Reflections,” depicts an older gentleman visiting the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The painting’s name comes from the scene, in which the man somberly rests his hand on the wall. But instead of his reflection, stands several servicemen, perhaps old Army buddies.
Murphy had seen a copy of the painting when he was just out of high school.
Though he didn’t buy it then, the imagery left an imprint as he embarked on his career in the Army.
Then, Murphy’s wife, Angie, saw the same painting a few years ago, and bought it for her husband, not knowing he’d already seen the picture previously.
“It meant a lot me,” he said.
It also signifies why weekends such as this are so important in his life.
“They were willing to uphold and protect the freedoms we have,” he said. “It’s very humbling. It says a lot about people who are willing to run toward a fight instead of running away when trouble erupts.”
Warner concurred.
“You can have trying times, lots of long days, lots of long weeks,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like the military, when you have someone else saying, ‘You’re going to be here, and not sure what time you’ll get to go home.’”