by Candy Priano
Executive Director, PursuitSAFETY

Published: November 23, 2009

It's our stories—yours and mine—that are the threads that connect all of us. Every so often, a story will capture a person’s interest and encourage belief and support for an idea—and even a controversial cause.

Glenn Morshower, actor and motivational speaker, became involved with PursuitSAFETY because of my daughter's story—Kristie's story. He believed more stories were out there; and unfortunately, he was right.

"I was on the set of 24 watching a morning news show when I learned about what happened to Kristie," he said to me this past August while in Chico, CA, to finish his work on our public service announcements (PSAs). "I was so saddened by her unnecessary death; I knew immediately that I would contact you."

Glenn's initial e-mail in June 2006 expresses his sadness: "I felt such pain in my heart when I looked at the news video. If there is ever anything I can be a part of, along with your family, to help get the word out, please let me know. We are all brothers and sisters, and I'd like to be of service in some way."

Helping Us to Help Others

When he's not acting, Glenn is still on stage with The Extra Mile, an enlightening presentation he originally designed for actors. Today, he takes The Extra Mile across the United States and Canada to universities and churches in an effort to encourage people to value their life and, in turn, reach out and help others.

Glenn is among a growing number of individuals and businesses helping PursuitSAFETY to reach out and help innocent victims and their families who are impacted by the tragedy of pursuit.

Consequently, we understand that the people who gave the most to PursuitSAFETY’s multimedia campaign are the family members who trusted us to share their loved ones' stories with the world.

When Glenn was in the studio, his focus was all about “Our Families.” I saw and heard firsthand the compassion in Glenn’s voice as he read each name over and over again until he felt he had spoken each one just right:

“Allison Angerman, Tabatha Berg, Christopher ‘Chris’ Cooper, Desiree ‘Desi’ Guzman, Ashley Martinez, Bernice Martinez, Christina Martinez, Brandon Harper, Johnny Kallmeyer, Sarah Phillips, Kristina ‘Kristie’ Priano, Kristin Saragusa, Bridgett Sing, and Bridgett’s unborn baby girl named Allie.”

The Other Side

When Mark and I met Glenn for the first time in February 2008, it was like getting together with a life-long friend after an extended absence. We exchanged family stories and told each other what was happening in our lives. As we finished our lunch, Glenn gently asked, "Would it be okay if we visited some of Kristie's favorite places?"

In the six years since Kristie’s death, no one had ever asked us that question. For a brief moment, I wondered how he knew to ask that question. Yet, I already knew the answer because Glenn’s caring nature for people is so transparent.

Our first stop was the Chico Creek Nature Center where Kristie had volunteered on weekends and summers, caring for animals that could no longer live in the wild and teaching younger children how to preserve the park.

As we drove up to the Nature Center, we noticed a parked Chico Police patrol car. Glenn knew of the Chico Police Department’s involvement in the chase that killed Kristie. I, on the other hand, didn’t notice that as we walked toward the Center, Glenn was moving into character as a secret service agent, a role he portrays on the TV series 24. He lifted his shirt collar, arched his shoulders, and raised his right hand to his mouth as if speaking into a hidden microphone in his sleeve; and at the exact moment I looked up at him, he said in a deep voice, “Candy Priano is approaching the building."

I will always remember that moment—always—because for the first time in a long time, I laughed so hard—and the laugh was real. The depth of my feelings in that one moment could easily generate several stories about how people can help those who are grieving. Glenn’s actions made me think about the times Kristie, smiling and waving her arms all over the place, would come bopping out the door of the Center, and how I would laugh simply because she was such a joy to see.

Others Join the Cause

Before Glenn returned to Chico to finish his work on the PSAs, I began thinking how wonderful it would be to have two of our existing PSAs in Spanish, partly because some of the victims in the PSAs are Hispanic and because it is vital that PursuitSAFETY reach a broader audience.

The day before going to the studio, I casually asked Glenn, "Do you speak Spanish?"

Glenn responded to my question, clearly speaking Spanish and enjoying every minute of it. He didn't just say, "Si." He went on and on. Both of us were happy as we realized how many more people we would reach by doing just two PSAs in Spanish. All we needed now was for someone to translate the copy from English to Spanish.

That evening when Glenn, Mark, and I were having dinner in a restaurant, we met Rachelle, our waitress. At one point, Glenn said to Rachelle, "You have beautiful diction."

Rachelle smiled and said, "Thank you. I spent some time in Mexico teaching children to read and write English."

Glenn explained to Rachelle why we needed someone to translate copy from English to Spanish and wondered if.... Without giving it a second thought, she graciously agreed to do just that.

The next day at the Fox-TV studio in Chico, Glenn was on-camera speaking fluent Spanish while videographer George Robinette was behind the camera. Joining us on the set were Rachelle and Fox’s program coordinator Ireri Pimentel, whose first language is Spanish. Ireri verified that Glenn was pronouncing the words in Spanish correctly and that the translations made sense to the Hispanic community.

On the following day and on into the night, Glenn, George and I focused on the audio portion, a very time-consuming process. Every time we needed a break, Glenn would entertain us with stories about characters from a comedy project he created called “Kosher Texas” or by demonstrating his hambone dancing, never missing a beat.

We didn’t even realize that the dinner hour had come and gone. With at least two hours of work to finish, I said something to Glenn about the time because I also knew he had to return to L.A. that night.

“Let me look at my watch,” he said. Looking at his wrist and then at us with his eyes wide open, he added, “Oh, that’s right. I don’t wear a watch.” We all laughed. After a timely pause, Glenn became serious, “I don’t wear a watch because it’s not about time; it’s about quality.”

It was definitely not about time because as we walked through the vacant hallways, we passed a wall clock that read 11:05 p.m. We had been in the studio since early morning, and Glenn still had a long drive ahead of him, having to return to L.A. for other commitments.

Work had begun on these PSAs 13 months earlier when both Glenn and Fox-TV in Chico took on this project at no cost to PursuitSAFETY. Over time all the work, whether on-location or in-studio, has been difficult because of the topic, but very rewarding all the same.

Counting the hours—or even the months—is not important. Glenn is right. It’s not about time. It’s about seven quality PSAs imparting an important message to people so they become aware that a real crisis exists.

Glenn realizes how important it is to prevent the tragedy of pursuit from happening to others. After returning to southern California, he called to say that he valued his work for PursuitSAFETY because “lives are being both honored and saved by our PSAs.”

He’s right again. The stories in our PSAs clearly show the deadly outcomes associated with vehicular police pursuits. Everyone working with PursuitSAFETY does understand that our mission is not to ban all pursuits; our mission is to put an end to unnecessary pursuits in order to save the lives of innocent bystanders and officers.

When Glenn and I talk about PursuitSAFETY, he reveals his passion for our cause. He often says to me, “Candy, even one death—even one—is one too many.”

Yes, it is about saving lives.

Photo Agreement
Posted April 12, 2008
Unless you have made other arrangements with Candy Priano, pictures of Glenn Morshower on this website may be used only for the following reason: Legitimate news/magazine/web stories about police vehicular pursuits. This picture or likenesses of Glenn cannot be used to encourage people to flee from the police. Glenn Morshower has partnered with PursuitSAFETY because he cares about public safety. He wants to save lives.

Any misrepresentation of Glenn Morshower's picture, likenesses or information will be subject to the penalties of the law.

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