Redmond Police Commander Terry Morgan begins new chapter in life after retiring

Published 11:18 am Friday, June 22, 2012

A new chapter in life began this week for retired Redmond Police Department (RPD) Cmdr. Terry Morgan, who helped develop several innovative policing partnerships over the course of his 30-year cop career.

Last Friday was Morgan’s last day at the department, where he served for 28 years, including the last 15 as commander.

“It’s time for a new chapter,” said Morgan, who began his police career with the Ferndale Police Department before joining RPD in 1984. “I want to spend more time with my family and I just want to explore more options.”

Morgan, who was honored at a retirement ceremony at police headquarters last Friday evening, said he is going to take some time off, but did not rule out returning to police work of some kind in the future.

“One of things that does interest me is policy-level work,” he said.

During his nearly three decades of service at RPD, Morgan helped introduce several new programs that have impacted policing in Redmond — and beyond.

With the help of his late friend and Department of Corrections (DOC) officer Steve Marrs, Morgan created the Supervision Management and Recidivist Tracking (SMART) program, a two-pronged approach to decrease repeats in criminal activity. The program was very successful and was implemented by more than 70 other law enforcement and corrections agencies.

Morgan, 58, also organized and helped implement a countywide program called FireArm Crime Enforcement (FACE), which connected county law enforcement agencies on how to improve detection and enforcement of illegal firearm possession. He was also heavily involved in pushing forward the Auto Theft Tactical Analysis Center for King County (ATTACK), which is housed at the RPD. ATTACK focuses on reducing car thefts in the county by integrating several sources of information into one center for analysis and dissemination, with staffing from several agencies.

In addition, four years ago, Morgan helped form a new identity theft and financial crime task force that brought together several agencies in King and Pierce counties in fighting financial fraud.

While Morgan was instrumental in many programs, he sidestepped the spotlight and said there were many other people along the way that deserve credit for these visionary programs.

Morgan’s innovative thinking and focus on cross-department communication helped make the streets safer in Redmond and other jurisdictions, according to Redmond Police Chief Ron Gibson.

“Commander Morgan has been a strong advocate throughout the state of Washington for interagency collaboration and information sharing in an effort to arrest repeat and pattern offenders,” Gibson told the Reporter. “He has provided many years of dedicated service to the citizens of Redmond. We thank him for his service, dedication and ability to network with other law enforcement agencies for the betterment of the citizens of Redmond.”

Morgan said he became interested in police work at an early age.

“I had an uncle who was a police officer and I was real involved with him,” he said. “And I’ve always had a strong sense of justice.”

Morgan became a member of the Clallam County Search and Rescue dive team at age 12, when he would search waters for bodies and crime evidence. He said not too many people were interested in that type of work back then, but it was something he really enjoyed.

“I just got exposed to a lot of police culture and I found it really rewarding,” he said of his interest in the dive police work. “It was sad but very rewarding.”

He did some work for the Whatcom County Search and Rescue dive team while at the Ferndale Police Department before joining the RPD. He said he did some dive work at RPD, but most of his work was done above water.

When he joined RPD he quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a sergeant in 1992 before being promoted to commander in 1997.

But with his retirement from the force, his life will take a new turn and he’s ready to enjoy it. Morgan said he will spend his newfound time with family — he has a wife and a 26-year-old son.

Morgan’s 33-year-old daughter, Marisa, died in a single-car crash in April of 2011. He said his daughter’s death was “devastating” and said he continues to cherish and honor his daughter as he begins his new chapter in life.

“She was a family law attorney who always tried to help the underdog,” Morgan said of his daughter. “She had a great career ahead of her and always did her best to help people throughout her life. I and my whole family are still trying to cope with the loss.”

As for RPD, Morgan said the department is in “good hands.”

“I have nothing but respect for Chief Gibson,” Morgan said. “I think he is doing a great job. I think the department is going to continue to be a great police department. I have enjoyed working with the dedicated personnel here. It has been a great ride.”