Colonel J. Christopher Murphy
Director of Public Safety
12/2006 - Current
Colonel J. Christopher Murphy was sworn in as director of the Alabama Department
of Public Safety Dec. 1, 2006, upon his appointment by Governor Bob Riley.
From his first day as director, Colonel Murphy’s focus for Public Safety has been
greater effectiveness and efficiency in service to Alabama. Integrity, ethics, and
the highest of professional standards are hallmarks of Colonel Murphy’s expectations.
His leadership has sparked bold enforcement programs that are curbing crashes, injuries
and fatalities, and making state highways safer; innovative, common-sense approaches
to improve Driver License services; revamped, adult-based trooper training and the
construction of a new academy in partnership with postsecondary education; new recruiting
and hiring strategies; and rank-specific leadership development training. As director
of Public Safety, the colonel commands almost 1,500 sworn and civilian employees
who staff the department’s six divisions: Administrative, Alabama Bureau of Investigation,
Driver License, Highway Patrol, Protective Services, and Service.
A 30-year law enforcement veteran, Colonel Murphy began his career as an officer
with the Auburn Police Department. He then served as a special agent with the Tennessee
Bureau of Investigation before joining the U.S. Secret Service. Colonel Murphy’s
tenure with the Secret Service included protective details for former presidents,
vice presidents, and foreign heads-of-state; and criminal investigations, including
financial and computer crimes. At the time of his retirement from the Secret Service
in 2006, Colonel Murphy served as Special Agent in Charge of the Birmingham District
Office, in which capacity he managed the seven Secret Service offices in Alabama
and Mississippi.
A native of Birmingham, Colonel Murphy earned an undergraduate degree in Criminal
Justice at Auburn University and a master’s degree in the Administration of Criminal
Justice at Troy University. Colonel Murphy and his wife, Nancy, are the parents
of Christopher, Michael and Patrick.