The Observer Newspapers | Retired Fairfax Officer Takes On New Role

July 4, 2008

Retired Fairfax Officer Takes On New Role

The Town of Herndon police place a strong emphasis on community policing and their partnership with the community. In this series, The Observer will profile officers who both live and work in the Herndon community.

By Rebecca Plevin
Observer Staff Writer

Herndon police officer Michael Murn became familiar with the Herndon community and its police force while working as the resource officer at Herndon High School for four years. He said he was so impressed by the quality of the county schools and the town's amenities that he moved his family to Herndon about two years ago.

He said he was also impressed by the support he received from the town's police officers and detectives while he was working at the school. The Herndon police, he said, are "as professional and as dedicated as any police department, station or group I've ever worked with."

So when Murn retired from a 25-year career with the Fairfax County Police Department in August, he had no trouble choosing the next step in his career. "Herndon was the only place I looked" for a new job, he said. He started working for the HPD five days after retiring from the county police.

Murn committed to a second career with the Herndon police, and he and his family are also dedicated to being active members of the community. Murn said he supports local businesses by grocery shopping in town, patronizing town restaurants and buying gas in town because "the extra taxes stay here in the town."

In addition, Murn's five children all attend public schools in town and Murn said he and his wife volunteer in Herndon Elementary School's classrooms and on fieldtrips. Murn said he and his sons attend classes at H.K.Lee Tae Kwon Do because the school is "such an icon" and he wanted to support the organization's community activities.

He said he feels a sense of ownership for the town, since he both lives and works here. Incidents that occur in town, he said, have a "direct impact on me and my family." He said, "I don't want that going on in my neighborhood."

Murn grew up in Fauquier County and in 1979, as a teenager, he went on a ride-along with a family friend. During the ride-along, he picked up an application to be a police cadet even though, he said, he had "no clue of what the job was like." He joined the police after that, he said, and "I've never looked back and I've never regretted choosing this career."

Even after completing a full career with the Fairfax County police, Murn is as enthusiastic about his job as ever. In police work, he said, every day is different and there is never an opportunity to be bored. "I can do another 20 years," he said.