THE HEAD of the RCMP’s regional highway patrol, known formerly as North District West Traffic Services, has a new job.
After just over seven years of duty with the unit, Sgt. Don Murray has been promoted to Staff Sergeant and is now an Advisory NCO at the detachment here.
“Advisory NCO is sort of like being a consultant to police detachments/units on conducting business,” he said. His duties include reviewing and helping with performance plans, assisting with management of law enforcement programs, major events or emergency situations.
Murray is also responsible for providing guidance, counselling, monitoring and recommending program delivery methods and helping ensure effective communication between operations and management.
“It is a promotion from sergeant to staff sergeant, something different, yet still based in Terrace and would not require me to move,” Murray said about why he took the position.
He’s proud of the work accomplished by the highway patrol here.
“Traffic service work has been rewarding,” he said. “In my time with traffic, our service delivery area has realized a reduction in death and injury on the highway.”
Murray and the other members of the Terrace Traffic Safety Committee received special recognition from the premier’s office for crash reduction and were honoured in Victoria May 31.
But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing more to be done in traffic safety.
“However, like many aspects of police services, effort toward making for safe communities – reducing death and injury on the highway – remains a work in progress as we continually look to make improvements,” said Murray.
Murray’s new job covers the detachments in Terrace, Kitimat, Lisims Nass Valley, New Hazelton, Smithers, Houston and Burns Lake, and he may be called to assist with others in northern B.C.
He took over the job from Advisory NCO Rod Holland, who retired from the RCMP, in May of this year. The new traffic services commander is Sgt. Pam Scott who began work the middle of this month.
