Okanogan

Former Okanogan sheriff retires

Mike Murray, a detective and former Okanogan County sheriff, retired Saturday after 39 years in law enforcement.

Murray served as sheriff for two years after he was appointed to replace retiring Sheriff Jim Weed in March 2001. He was Weed’s undersheriff for 13 years.

He continued to work in the sheriff’s office after Frank Rogers defeated him in a November 2002 election.

He began his career in law enforcement with the Oroville Police Department in 1973, and worked for Western Washington University for three years, but spent most of his career at the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.

Rogers said Murray held nearly every position in the agency, and was instrumental in putting together its computer network, and bringing the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force to the county in 1988.

“He knew everything,” Rogers said. “He’s going to be impossible to replace.”

The sheriff said mostly, Murray was “one hell of a cop,” crediting him for being one of his best investigators and solving hundreds if not thousands of cases.

— K.C. Mehaffey, World staff