Orange County Deputy Sheriff Steven Greenberg ’12 played baseball at Chapman University and graduated with a degree in Psychology before getting his Masters in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University. Now, the former outfielder is on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to protect the citizens of Orange County in an unprecedented time.

Steven’s job went from interacting with the public every day to only responding to emergency calls. Also a member of North Patrol / SWAT, Steven’s training has been temporarily put on hold to decrease the risk of exposure to law enforcement officers. He and his team now wear PPE (personal protective equipment) on the job every day to decrease their risk of catching the virus. With all this in mind, Steven says he is still able to see the positivity in the world. He has seen a significant uptick in people thanking him for his service, waving when driving by, or even asking to buy him a coffee (which he must refuse due to policy but notices the kind gesture).

Just the other day, Steven was asked to be in a drive-by celebration in honor of an eight-year-old’s birthday. Due to social distancing, these drive-by birthday parties have become more and more common. Steven escorted the birthday party with his lights and sirens on and a big smile on his face, no doubt making the little boy’s eighth birthday one he will never forget.

Steven says he has definitely drawn on his time as a student-athlete at Chapman University. “One of the most important things I learned from Chapman Athletics is that the team is more important than the individual…I consider my family, my partners, my community, and ultimately my country, my team. I do my best to stay healthy for them more than myself.”

Steven is aware of how dangerous his job can be, but he is happy to do so if it means the people of Orange County feel safe.