CLARKSBURG, West Virginia — Bridgeport Police Department Lieutenant Brian Purkey received a Distinguished Law Enforcement Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony recognizing law-enforcement partners and public servants, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia.

The office said the ceremony took place at the United States Bankruptcy Courthouse in Clarksburg, West Virginia on Monday, November 9, 2026. Its release is also dated Monday, November 9, 2026; that is the ceremony and source-release date, not this article's publication date.

Career service and investigative leadership

Purkey was one of two recipients listed under the Distinguished Law Enforcement Lifetime Achievement Award category. The other was ATF Resident Agent in Charge Kenneth Grace, according to the official awards announcement.

The office also recognized Mountain Region Drug Task Force Commander David VanMeter for Excellence in Law Enforcement Leadership. WV State Auditor’s Office Investigator Michael Taylor received the Outstanding Investigative Career Award.

The announcement identifies the honorees and their award categories but does not give Purkey's years of service or announce a retirement.

Partnership honors for local prosecutors

Harrison County Prosecutor Rachel Romano and Randolph County Prosecutor Michael Parker each received a Department of Justice Partnership Award, the office said.

U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey described the awards as recognition of collaboration and work advancing the Department of Justice’s mission. “We are only as good as our law enforcement partners.” That was how Harvey opened his statement in the release.

This account reports the office's announced honors, rather than independently assessing the underlying investigations. The complete release lists additional recipients and award categories.

Image: Archival contextual view of Clarksburg from the east on Main Street, photographed 19 December 2006; not the ceremony or its venue. Photo: Tim Kiser (Malepheasant), “Clarksburg West Virginia.jpg,” via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5. Cropped, resized, labeled and a vehicle plate blurred by ThinBlueNews; this adaptation is also available under CC BY-SA 2.5. No endorsement implied.