At the Shoreline Police Department, a familiar face is back on duty.
For the last two months, King County Sheriff's Sgt. Wing Woo has been assigned here on light desk duty.
A position he fought for months to retain following a surfing accident in Hawaii last year that severely injured his spinal cord.
Earlier this year, a human resources staffer in King County recommended that he be medically retired.
“She said, 'I don’t think you are going to walk again,'” Woo said. “I said, 'You are the first person who said that.'”
Woo appealed to his boss, Sheriff John Urquhart, to keep his job at least for the next six months.
It was a decision, the sheriff told KIRO 7, that was not difficult to make.
“He met and it was real clear to me that he was going to make it work,” Urquhart said. “After this happened, I (could) see his determination.”
His determination was evident when KIRO 7 talked to Woo this past summer when he took steps out of his wheelchair with the help of his son.
His recovery has been paid for, in part, by hundreds of thousands of dollars donated by the community.
“All those people I don’t know how to thank them there are so many,” Woo said.
His co-workers say Woo has been an inspiration to everyone on the force.
“He’s had the same positive outlook he’s always had,” Community Service Officer Dahlia Corona said. “Having him here is awesome.”
Woo says he hopes to stay on the job until he chooses to retire on his own terms.
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