Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
- Office of Law Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2007

NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR MARK SPURRIER RECEIVES TWO BRONZE MEDAL AWARDS

Mark Spurrier has been awarded two prestigious bronze medals from the Department of Commerce. Retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, presented Spurrier with the awards at a ceremony held at the Daughters of the American Revolution Hall in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2007.

Spurrier received one bronze medal for his part in the development and execution of a Continuity of Operations Program (COOP) exercise which improved NOAA's ability to maintain essential functions during all circumstances, including life-threatening weather events and terrorist attacks. He received the second medal for helping to provide incident management and a unified emergency response during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Spurrier has served as the deputy director of NOAA Fisheries Service's Office of Law Enforcement since 1999.

When asked about his most recent awards, Spurrier explained that, "It's always an honor to be recognized for your contributions to the citizens you're sworn to serve and protect."

Spurrier's outstanding contributions as an enforcement leader also earned him the NOAA Administrator's Award in 2004.

A Baltimore native, Mark Spurrier's law enforcement career began in 1975 with the Baltimore County Police Department, which he retired from in 1998. Spurrier received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore in 1984 and is admitted to both the Federal and Maryland Bars.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation.  From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects .

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