If you’ve seen the movies “Black Hawk Down” or “Lone Survivor” you already know something about Santa Clara Police Sergeant Cory Morgan’s remarkable history.
Morgan served in the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), one of the units memorialized in those popular movies “Black Hawk Down” and “Lone Survivor.” Morgan was deployed to Afghanistan five times in four years as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
A native Santa Claran, Morgan received a Bachelor’s Degree in History from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. His first idea was to go on to law school, following a family tradition.
Ultimately he chose instead to serve in the U.S. Army. After graduating as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from Intelligence School in Ft. Huachuaca, Arizona, he was selected to join the 160th SOAR (A) and assigned to the 2nd Battalion, where he served as an Intelligence Sergeant.
After leaving the Army Morgan joined SCPD, where he was the top performer both academically and physically in his Police Academy class. Since graduation, he has worked in both Field Operations and Investigations. Morgan recently completed an assignment as a narcotics detective, where he was assigned to a DEA task force and “deputized” as a Federal Agent by the DEA.
This allowed him the unique opportunity to investigate federal crimes as well as local crimes, he says, working with both the Federal and local District Attorneys. Morgan has also worked on SCPD assignments including as a Crime Scene Investigator and on the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team since 2012. Morgan was promoted to Sergeant on January 1, 2017.
Morgan also likes to keep moving off-duty–he is an avid baseball and basketball player–interests that he shares with his two young sons. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for the Triton Museum, a reflection of the importance he places on a well-rounded life.
It’s a privilege to work at and represent Santa Clara police force, Morgan says, because of the strong support the department gets from the citizens of Santa Clara. Santa Clarans are well educated, diverse, he says, and the Police Department reflects the values of the City.