“Both of these accomplishments are a great testament to Sheriff Murphy and the entire staff of the sheriff’s office. It shows their pursuit of dedication in their profession,” he said. “You have an outstanding sheriff’s office and it is well-respected throughout the state. “ Mr. Kehoe said.

“To achieve accreditation, requires that the Civil Office meets a very strict set of standards set by experts in the field of civil process,” he continued. “These standards currently have 121 individual components and to gain accreditation, a civil office must submit itself to scrutiny by an outside board of officers, which reviews the agency’s operation in detail to ascertain whether the agency meets the demanding standards.”

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s Civil Division “meets or exceeds every one of those standards,” Kehoe said.

“Those who work in the Civil Division are, in my mind, the unsung heroes of our justice system. Everyone is pretty much aware of the work the sheriff’s Patrol Division does enforcing criminal laws. But few understand the work of the sheriff’s Civil Division. They are the strong right arm of our Civil Court System, facilitating and enforcing the mandates and orders of the Civil Court,” Kehoe said.

The work these deputies do is just as important and just as dangerous as the work done in the Patrol Division, he pointed out.

“Too many people, unhappy with a court judgment against them try to take it out on the civil deputy who is just trying to do his or her job,” he said. “Civil deputies, as well as our criminal law enforcement deputies all deserve our respect and our thanks for the tough job that they do for us.”

Sheriff Murphy praised Sgt. Chris Worthington, Sr. Civil Clerk Lisa Williams and Civil Clerk Gwen Roberts for their efforts and dedication that was instrumental in earning the distinction.