Patricia Murphy

Reporter

Patricia Murphy is an award-winning reporter at KUOW Public Radio in Seattle focusing on military affairs, veterans' issues and criminal justice. She began her career at WBUR Boston in 1994 and has worked at KUOW since 2000.{C}

Patricia's most recent series, “Less than Honorable,” investigated how the military handles more than 3,000 sexual assault cases each year. Her 2011 collaboration with the Seattle Times, “The Weight of War,” looked at heavy loads carried by troops and the increase in chronic orthopedic injuries as a result; the series won a national award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism from the Association of Healthcare Journalists. She also received a national Edward R. Murrow Award for a documentary on IV drug use and has had her work recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.

In 2012, Patricia was inducted into the Dart Society, a network of journalists who cover trauma, conflict and social injustice. In a briefing document accidentally sent to her by an Army public affairs officer, Patricia was described as “a professional, no-nonsense reporter who comes to the table fully prepared,” though her colleagues at KUOW might also describe her as the station cut-up.

Patricia holds a BA from Emerson College in Boston.

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Police Accountability
7:52 am
Mon April 22, 2013

South Seattle Neighbors Want Answers About Police Action

Credit KUOW Photo/Patricia Murphy
The house where Bellevue police shot and killed suspect Russell Smith is still boarded up. The neighborhood was locked down for four hours. Eventually, police stormed the house. No one else was inside.

On March 22, 2013,  around  5:00 a.m., a SWAT team from the Bellevue Police Department showed up at a tiny dead-end street in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood. They were there to arrest a suspect on a warrant for robbery.

Things did not go smoothly.

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Program Methods Questioned
8:56 am
Fri April 19, 2013

Army Surgeon General Suspends Trust Enhancement Program Following Investigation

Credit Courtesy/LinkedIn
Program’s Director, Claudette Elliott. Investigators claim Elliott encouraged employees to participate in what were deemed to be questionable practices, including the unauthorized use of Wiccan rituals and energy readings.

  

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of the program director, Claudette Elliott.

The Army has suspended the Trust and Enhancement Sustainment Task Force, a program that was created to help improve patient care by building on trust. Documents from the investigation obtained by KUOW show that investigators found the task force lacked the structure and employee training standards needed to execute its mission.

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Alledged Murder And Militia
8:07 am
Fri April 5, 2013

Militia Group Allegedly Formed By Washington State Soldier

A solider from Washington state has been charged with murder in the death of his pregnant wife.  Prosecutors also say Pvt. Isaac Aguigui of Cashmere, Wash., is the ringleader of an anti-government militia group that plotted to overthrow the government and poison apple crops in Washington state.

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Substance Abuse Suggestions
7:26 pm
Mon April 1, 2013

Help For Families Who Struggle With Addicts

The defendant charged in the recent  death of two pedestrians in Seattle’s Wedgewood neighborhood has faced DUIs in the past. Like thousands of other families, Mark Mullan's family has struggle with his addiction.

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Federal Budget Impact
5:11 pm
Tue March 26, 2013

Defense Contractor Lays Off One-Third Of Its Joint Base Lewis-McChord Staff

Credit KUOW Photo/Patricia Murphy
Elizabeth Sowersby was laid off from her job as a helicopter electrician at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Last week the Department of Defense delayed anticipated furlough notices for civilian employees. The DOD said the two-week delay would allow it to analyze the impact of the federal budget sequester on its workforce.

But not everyone got a reprieve.

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Safety And Privacy
5:43 pm
Wed March 20, 2013

Colorado Murder Resonates With Local Public Officials

Credit KUOW Photo / Sara Lerner

The executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections was shot dead after answering the doorbell at his home Tuesday night. So far no one has been arrested  in the death of Tom Clements.

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Military Mental Health
5:29 pm
Mon March 18, 2013

Army Investigation Clears Madigan Commander

Credit Madigan Army Medical Center PA
Madigan Army Medical Center Commander Col. Dallas Homas.

An investigation into improper leadership involvement in diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder at Madigan Army Medical Center has cleared Hospital Commander Col. Dallas Homas of any wrongdoing.

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CPR Training
12:09 pm
Thu March 14, 2013

If You Want To Survive A Heart Attack, Live In Seattle

Credit Medic One Foundation Photo/Oliver McIntosh
Tim Benningfield and Lanise Taunton Rigby work to revive a CPR training mannequin under the watchful eyes of Seattle EMTs.

Seattle has long been known as the best place to have a heart attack – if you want to live. Nationally, survival rates for heart attack hover between a chest clutching 2 percent and 25 percent.

In King County, your likelihood of surviving the most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance, known as ventricular fibrillation, is as high as 56 percent.

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Soldier Mental Health
1:40 pm
Mon March 11, 2013

New Army Report Finds Trouble With Behavioral Health System

The Army has more than doubled its number of military and civilian behavioral health workers in the past five years, however, a newly released report that examines how the Army evaluates soldiers for mental health issues finds that the system is riddled with problems. 

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Death Penalty Hearing
11:05 am
Thu March 7, 2013

House Committee Takes No Action On Death Penalty Bill

A House Committee in Olympia took no action Wednesday on House Bill 1504 which would eliminate the death penalty and replace it with a sentence of life without parole.

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