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Surprise in D.C. after Obama honors Paramus Officers Morgan, Hayo

ONLY ON CLIFFVIEW PILOT: Hours after being among 34 police officers honored by President Obama at a White House ceremony Saturday, Paramus Detective Rachel Morgan and Officer Ryan Hayo were singled out from the group when the National Association of Police Organizations presented them with the prestigious Citizens Achievement Award at the annual TOP COPS dinner.

Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot
Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot
Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot
Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot
Photo Credit: Cliffview Pilot

Morgan, Hayo (front), Paramus Police Ceremonial Honor Guard, at NAPO HQ on Saturday
(CLIFFVIEW PILOT photo)

Each year, NAPO reviews all of the incidents of bravery and valor by the TOP COPS recipients and chooses one that stands out.

This year it was the shooting of Morgan and her rescue by Hayo.

“We didn’t even know about the award,” Paramus Police Chief Christopher Brock told CLIFFVIEW PILOT just before midnight. “It came as a complete surprise.”

“I couldn’t be more proud. They are both outstanding officers, not only for what they did that night but for how they have handled everything since then,” the chief said. “We’re lucky to have them in Paramus.”

White House PHOTO


The NAPO awards dinner tonight was one of several events this weekend – among them, a luncheon Monday at which Morgan and Hayo will be honored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Presenting the colors tonight was the Paramus Honor Guard, which will do the same at Monday’s event.

Morgan and Hayo got to meet the president during this afternoon’s Rose Garden event, which Brock said they both described as “an amazing experience”:

Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden were joined by, among others, NAPO President Tom Nee and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in honoring this year’s TOP COPS for showing bravery and valor in the line of duty.

“Every day, hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers keep our neighborhoods safe, and frankly, they don’t ask for a lot.  They don’t ask for a lot of credit.  They don’t go to work planning to be heroes,” Obama said. “They just do their jobs.

“But when you put on that badge, you assume a special responsibility.  And every time you put it on, you never know if this day will be the day that you’ve spent your entire career training for -– the day when just doing your job and being a hero are exactly the same thing.

“For the men and women standing behind me, America’s TOP COPS, that day came.  And when it did, they were ready.  They didn’t flinch.  They didn’t back off,” the president said. “There are people who are alive today only because of their courage.”

Hayo, Morgan at NAPO TOP COPS awards dinner
(CLIFFVIEW PILOT photo)

Biden gave the event a bit of a political edge when he chided governors (he didn’t mention any names) who have tried to strip collective bargaining rights from government workers.

“To say you’ve earned those rights would be the understatement of the day, and they will not be taken away as long as we can do anything about that, or anyone else who cares,” Biden said.

The White House supplied this narrative for Morgan and Hayo:

It’s the most urgent message a police dispatcher can hear. Last February, Officer Morgan had run a license check on a car she’d seen driving erratically. When the plates didn’t match the vehicle, she tried to pull the car over, but the driver took off. As the car sped onto an exit ramp toward the Garden State Parkway, it spun out of control and landed in a snow bank.

Officer Morgan gave the suspect inside repeated instructions to get out of the car with his hands in plain sight. But the man refused, and kept trying to free his car. Morgan began a cautious approach with her weapon drawn, continuing to order the driver out of the car. Suddenly, when she was about three feet from the car, shots rang out. Morgan fell to the icy ground. She’d been shot three times, and two of the bullets had hit just below her bulletproof vest. But even as she lay bleeding in the snow, she switched her gun to her left hand and continued firing.


By this time, Officer Hayo had arrived, and began returning the suspect’s fire. He reached Morgan, who was still on the ground, badly wounded, yet calmly reloading her weapon to continue the fight. Finally, shots stopped coming from the vehicle and Hayo was able to drag Morgan to safety.

“Our safety will always depend on the quiet heroism of ordinary Americans, like the ones that we recognize today,” Obama said.

“We will be forever in debt to those who wear the badge; to men and women with a deep sense of duty, and a willingness to serve and sacrifice on our behalf.

“And I think these individuals don’t mind me saying that they are representative of the sacrifices and that quiet courage that exists among law enforcement officers all across the country — and their families, because I know the strains of families in such a difficult job is significant as well.

“And to those families, those of you who are here today, we want to say thank you to you as well.”

Founded in 1978, NAPO bills itself as the strongest unified voice supporting law enforcement officers in the United States:  “NAPO represents more than 2,000 police units and associations, 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers, 11,000 retired officers and more than 100,000 citizens who share a common dedication to fair and effective crime control and law enforcement.”


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YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: Paramus Police Detective Rachel Morgan and Officer Ryan Hayo have been named 2012 recipients of the prestigious TOP COPS Award given by The National Association of Police Organizations.

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