National Policing Institute Honors Outstanding Law Enforcement Leaders with Annual Awards

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Policing Institute (NPI) announces the recipients of its Annual Awards for 2025: Chief (Ret.) J. Thomas "Tom" Manger will be honored with the Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Award for Leading Change in Policing, and Chief (Ret.) Terrence M. "Terry" Cunningham will receive the Hubert Williams Equal Justice and Effective Policing Award.

Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Award for Leading Change in Policing

Chief (Ret.) J. Thomas Manger brings nearly fifty years of law enforcement experience, having served in multiple senior leadership roles—most recently as Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, and previously in Fairfax County and Montgomery County. Throughout his career, he has been a force for positive transformation: introducing innovations in officer wellness, training, accountability, transparency, and community engagement. 

Under his leadership at the U.S. Capitol Police following the events of January 6, 2021, Manger guided the agency through extraordinary challenges, implementing more than 100 Inspector General recommendations, expanding intelligence capabilities, improving staffing and training, and strengthening interagency partnerships. His reforms have elevated both the culture and operations of the departments he has led, setting a benchmark for modern policing. 

"Chief Manger exemplifies the kind of courageous, visionary leadership the Patrick V. Murphy Award was created to recognize," said NPI President Jim Burch. "His commitment to bold, evidence-based change has left an enduring legacy on the profession and on the communities served." 

Hubert Williams Award for Innovation in Community Policing

Chief (Ret.) Terrence M. Cunningham is being honored with the Hubert Williams Equal Justice and Effective Policing Award, which recognizes a police professional who has championed fairness, equal justice, and civil rights of all.  

In his roles,  currently as Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and previously as the Chief of Police of Wellsley, Massachusetts, Police Department, President of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and Executive Member of the Greater Boston Council, and the New England Association of Chiefs of Police, Cunningham has shaped agency policies and national dialogue around a myriad of issues facing the policing profession. His historic acknowledgment of law enforcement's challenging relationship and history with communities of color, paired with concrete reform efforts, exemplifies the courage, candor, and vision embodied by the Hubert Williams Equal Justice and Effective Policing Award.

"Chief Cunningham embodies the spirit of the Hubert Williams Award," said Burch. "His leadership and innovation have changed how agencies think about and deliver community policing, ensuring that trust and collaboration are at the center of public safety efforts." 

About the Awards

The Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Award for Leading Change in Policing honors police professionals with more than ten years of service who have taken bold, evidence-based steps to reform policing and make a sustained, meaningful impact on their agencies and communities. 

Hubert Williams Equal Justice and Effective Policing Award honors police professionals who have championed equal justice, civil rights, and accountability—through actions such as policy change, research, education, or legislative work—and whose efforts have meaningfully influenced an agency or community. 

About the National Policing Institute  

The National Policing Institute (NPI) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to tackling the most complex challenges in policing by leveraging innovation and science. Based in Arlington, Virginia, NPI drives excellence in policing by developing, translating, and applying research into innovative, evidence-informed solutions. For more information about NPI, visit policinginstitute.org. 

Media Contact: 
Megan Webster 
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SOURCE National Policing Institute