Arizona Woman Becomes State Trooper After Husband Killed by Drunk Driver
Tracy Murphy, an Arizona woman, recently graduated from the state’s Department of Public Safety academy, becoming a state trooper. Her decision to join the force was motivated by the death of her husband, Justin, who was killed in March 2024 by a drunk driver while riding his motorcycle. Justin, a Marine, had signed his retirement paperwork just two days before the fatal accident. Tracy Murphy completed 255 days of training as part of Class 39 and will patrol overnight in Tucson, an area experiencing Department of Public Safety staffing shortages. She expressed her commitment to preventing similar tragedies, stating that if she can remove one drunk driver from the road, her career will be successful. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is currently facing a shortage of hundreds of troopers, leading to some highways being unpatrolled overnight.
