Michael Ropelewski retires from Harrison police force after 42 years

Sgt. Michael Ropelewski has some good stories about his 42-year tenure with the Harrison Township Police Department.

Once, he said, a man approached him while he was having dinner with his son at a local pizza shop. The man thanked Ropelewski for arresting him a few years before. He said the incident helped him turn his life around. Ropelewski’s son was confused about why someone would thank his father for putting him behind bars.

“With police work, people don’t remember so much what you say or what you do as how you say and do it,” Ropelewski said, explaining that he always tried to treat people right — even during an arrest.

It was one of several moments Ropelewski reflected on after retiring from the Harrison Township Police Department on Thursday. He had served on the force since March 1, 1978.

Ropelewski was once the first officer on the scene in Fawn Township during an officer-involved shooting.

“I was able to go out there and I helped that officer,” he said. “I locked that officer in my car. I secured the crime scene. I really helped an officer at a time when he needed it.”

He often responded to medical situations, where he got to the scene before paramedics. He said those also marked significant moments on the job.

“How many times I’ve done CPR, I can’t remember,” he said. “It doesn’t always work — but the times you’re able to revive people, it’s rewarding. If nothing else, you’ve provided comfort to people, even if you know they’re dying.”

Ropelewski, who grew up in Natrona, started working in the community even before he joined the police department. After graduating from Edinboro University with a degree in criminal justice and sociology, Ropelewski quickly returned to his hometown, where he began his career as Harrison Township’s recreation officer.

In that role, Ropelewski spearheaded activities for the youth — ranging from skateboarding events to flag football games. He worked in the township building — which meant he got to know the police officers who worked alongside him.

“One of them said to me, ‘Don’t you know we’re hiring?’ I said, ‘When I was younger, I always ran from the police. I never wanted to be one,’ ” Ropelewski said.

But once he joined the department, Ropelewski quickly recognized it was a good fit.

“I realized once I became a police officer, it’s not all cops and robbers,” he said. “A lot of it is service. A lot of it is helping people.”

Ropelewski compared his work to a favorite parable. In the story, a father and daughter walk along a beach strewn with starfish drying up on the sand. The girl picks one up and safely returns it to the water. Her father asks her why she bothered to save that one starfish, when she couldn’t possibly save them all. She replies by saying that at least she saved that one.

“You just save who you can,” Ropelewski said of his police work.

His policing theory was simple: “All you really need to do to be a good policeman is be a good person. Just do the right thing every time,” Ropelewski said.

Despite its inherent challenges, the job never turned Ropelewski into a cynic.

“Most people are basically good,” he said. “Sometimes good people — given the right circumstances — can do something bad. That doesn’t make them bad people.”

Police Chief Michael Klein described Ropelewski as a “great” and “grounded” officer with a dry sense of humor.

“He’s always been a dedicated servant,” Klein said. “He made it 42-and-a-half years and is able to leave with a smile on his face.”

Now residing in Natrona Heights, Ropelewski said he’s looking forward to spending time with his family during retirement.

He’s particularly glad to spend time with his wife, Tammy.

“We’ve been married 37 years. She put up with a lot of shift work. She raised our two kids. She worried for 42 years. Police wives deserve a lot of credit,” he said.

Ropelewski also is eager to visit his new grandson, spend more time camping at Cook Forest and find new ways to continue serving the community.

“I’m trying to decide where I want to volunteer,” he said. “I want to continue trying to pay it forward.”