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George and Christian Morar look alike, act alike and often even think alike. So perhaps it was no surprise they both opted to attend the same university and ended up in the same profession, in the same town wearing the same uniform for the same law enforcement agency! Today, the 31-year-old Romanian-American fraternal twins are on the
For one pair of Reading, Pa., cops, their connection goes far deeper than the blue uniforms they share.
move, working to make Reading, Pa., a safer and better place to live as full-time patrolmen for the Reading Police Department. While each shift brings new challenges for the brothers, who graduated from Alvernia in 2005, both say police work has been an invaluable teaching experience. They aspire to join a distinguished list of Alvernia alums who found their calling in the law, including longtime Berks County Judge Linda Ludgate and Charles Broad, former Reading police chief, who now is executive director of the Reading Downtown Improvement District. George, who typically works a 3 – 11 p.m. shift, enjoys interacting with Reading kids as they head home from school and travel throughout the city. Outgoing and personable, he feels a connection with young people and wants to be a positive influence in their lives. “Chris and I had spent time with troubled kids in the past,” George says referring to their work with CONCERN — a Berks County–based nonprofit child welfare agency. “We learned a lot about kids and their families, and the problems that many of them faced. I think that kind of understanding helps me to relate to kids on the street.” Christian’s work experience is different. Assigned to the overnight shift, “I see more violence than George does because of the hours I work,” he says. “It can be pretty intense.” Still, Christian says, it’s a good feeling to be able to help people who are affected by crime. “It’s very rewarding when I can make an arrest and help a victim to get some closure,” he says. “That’s a part of my work that I really like.” He also enjoys meeting people from many different backgrounds. “Reading has a diverse population,” Christian says. “You’ve got to keep that in mind when responding to a call.” It may be that their personal experiences makes both Christian and George more sensitive to cultural diversity. The twins moved to Berks County from Romania at age 12 with their parents, Mike and Mary Morar, and older brother, Alex. Their father was granted a visa through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery, a congressionally mandated program that provides up to 55,000 visas each year for qualified applicants. When they arrived, they spoke no English and knew only a few people other than their parents and brother, who was 18. And, while they quickly learned the language of their new country, and gained acceptance in their environment through school, sports and church, the experience of starting out in an unknown place in eighth grade was sobering. “I guess maybe it helped us to identify with people whose situations are different,” Christian says. “You understand that people have very different lives.” While working in law enforcement had been Christian’s plan since high Continued on page 58
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