BEHIND THE AUTHOR

Hollywood May Be Calling Next

Pennsylvania Turnpike ENews MilePosts Aug 2020 

Ray Morrow has served as the PA Turnpike’s chief compliance officer for almost a decade. A conscientious professional, meticulous in his approach to any project, Ray spent the majority of his career as a law enforcement professional.
Having served in the FBI for 20 years, Ray held investigative and supervisory positions in Louisville, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa, and FBI Headquarters.
Now Ray can add author to his professional resume. His book, “Broken Shield: An FBI Undercover Agent’s Personal Perspective,” hit bookshelves in July.
The book focuses on Ray’s work as the primary undercover agent in a major police corruption investigation of Cleveland officers. At the time he had only been an FBI agent for two years and had no previous undercover experience. The undercover operation uncovered corruption that resulted in 47 arrests, 30 of which were police officers.
As far back as he can remember, Ray wanted to be an FBI Special Agent. “When I was a child, I was enthralled with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI,” Ray explained. As one of the most powerful people in the United States during the 1960s, FBI Director Hoover received a good deal of attention. “He was always meticulously dressed and fastidious when it came to following the law. And when the television show ‘The FBI’ hit the airwaves that cemented my feelings about becoming a Special Agent for the FBI.”
Fresh of out of the FBI Academy, Ray was assigned to the Bureau’s Louisville Division at a point when FBI undercover agents were infiltrating the New York mafia. “As I learned more about undercover work, I found that the undercover technique was the most useful and productive tool in an investigator’s and prosecutor’s tool belt,” Ray continued. “But it’s extremely tough work and you have to leave your ego at the door. Additionally, the mental, emotional and physical toll that it takes to be successful in that type of arena can be overwhelming.”
Ray shared that significant emotional toll. “I was so singularly focused that I lost sight of what was truly important to me,” Ray said. “My family suffered and I lost them for several months. It wasn’t until the FBI’s psychologist intervened that I realized the mistake I had made. I went back to my wife and reconciled, and we recently celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary.”
Always the soul of discretion, Ray never talked about his cases with family or friends. However, a few years ago he was asked to do a podcast with retired FBI Special Agent Jerri Williams. “After the podcast, Ms. Williams, who happened to be an accomplished author suggested that I write a book,” explained Ray. Others reinforced that suggestion. But there was one call he received from a retired FBI Special Agent named Joaquin “Jack” Garcia that greatly influenced Ray. Jack was a legendary FBI undercover agent who was on ‘60 Minutes’ regarding one of his undercover investigations. “That call made me think seriously about writing a book,” said Ray. After the call with Garcia, he made one additional call to Joe Pistone, whose book on his undercover work investigating the mafia had influenced Morrow’s career in its formative stages. With Pistone’s encouragement the dye was cast, and Morrow spent the last two years writing about his undercover work and investigation that was part of one of the FBI’s largest police corruption cases.
When asked about next projects, Ray explained: “I am currently working with a Hollywood producer writing a script for a movie called, ‘In Too Deep,’ inspired by my undercover investigation, and I will be writing that book with my editor Lindsay Preston.”
It has been a most interesting career path for Morrow who believes deeply that “to succeed in anything, you have to have a passion, you must be prepared and you must, no matter what, persevere.”