News

Law officers honor 'cop's cop' for 50 years of service

David McMurray accepts a plaque from Sheriff Lowell Griffin honoring his 50 years of law enforcement service. [PHOTO BY JOHNNY DUNCAN/Henderson County Sheriff's Office]

By Bill Moss, Published: October 23, 2022

Lowell Griffin recalled from his earliest days as a first responder that one particular State Highway Patrol trooper was a welcome sight at the scene of a car crash.

“Over 30 years ago, before I got into law enforcement, when I was even a young firefighter, we were always responding to traffic accidents,” he said. “As soon as we’d taken care of the patients and the chaos of the accident was done, we would take positions to help facilitate the flow of traffic so that the troopers could actually come in and do their job and get the road clear.
“Any time I saw David (McMurray) coming it was like a comfort because (of how) the public can be when they’re coming through and how mouthy they can be. When we were out there, if anything happened, David always had our backs.”
Time has passed from the days when Griffin, who started his public service as a volunteer firefighter as a teenager, and trooper McMurray crossed paths on country roads in Edneyille. Three decades later, Griffin is Henderson County sheriff and McMurray, at long last, is retired from law enforcement.
On Friday Griffin hosted a farewell get-together for the longtime lawman at the sheriff’s office honoring his 50 years of service —in the U.S. Marine Corps, the Highway Patrol, as head of basic law enforcement training at BRCC and finally at the sheriff’s office as a firearms training officer.
A graduate of East Henderson High School and Western Carolina University, McMurray was in training to be a Marine Corps officer in 1972-73. He “was ready to go on active duty and they announced they were pulling out of Vietnam and didn’t want us anymore, even though I was that far into my training,” he said.

Given the abrupt drop in demand for officers, the Marine Corps gave young recruits the option of an honorable discharge. McMurray took the offer and joined the Highway Patrol, riding the roads, stopping speeders and responding to car crashes from 1973 to 2003.
“He’s always been one that has always been grounded, has never forgotten where he’s come from,” Griffin said. “He’s always been that cop’s cop. If David was around, you knew he had your back. Matter of fact, he and I have stood shoulder to shoulder on occasion and been yelled at by a superior and he’s been right there with me as that takes place.”