Gilroy – A wounded Gilroy policeman was recognized with a major
honor from the Exchange Club, in a recent ceremony attended by
Santa Clara County’s biggest names.
Gilroy – A wounded Gilroy policeman was recognized with a major honor from the Exchange Club, in a recent ceremony attended by Santa Clara County’s biggest names.
Officer Steve Morrow fractured his knee in December while scaling a stairwell, in pursuit of a notorious car thief. Morrow had been monitoring thefts from a high-end car dealership, as a member of the county’s Regional Auto Theft Task Force.
“The crook showed up in one of the stolen cars,” Morrow explained. “We’d been doing surveillance on him for a while.” Unfortunately, he said, “it went downhill from there.”
The injury left him homebound, and in need of multiple surgeries, said Kai Lai, a member of the Gilroy Exchange Club. Morrow anticipates a nine-month recovery period.
“He was one year from retiring,” wrote Lai, but “Morrow refuses to end his career this way, and plans to return to full duty.”
In honor of his bravery, the Exchange Clubs of San Jose and Gilroy presented Morrow with the Blue and Gold Wounded in Action Award.
Morrow was one of nine honorees at the Feb. 23 event, attended by San Jose mayor Chuck Reed, district attorney Dolores Carr, Sheriff Laurie Smith, and Gilroy leaders such as police chief Gregg Giusiana and Councilman Dion Bracco.
“The who’s-who of politics were there,” said Eleanor Villarreal, a member of the Gilroy Exchange Club. “This was a big deal … He went into a dangerous situation, and chased this guy down.”
Bracco, president of the Gilroy Exchange Club, described Morrow as a model officer.
“He always conveys that he cares about people, and he wants to help,” said Bracco.
Once he heals, Morrow plans to spring back into action, both in the department and out. The officer is also an ex-boxer, and judges professional boxing in his spare time. Asked to comment on the award, Morrow demurred.
“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t want to,” he said. “There are too many guys out there, doing more heroic things than I did.”
