PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hartwick is being remembered as somebody who selflessly gave his life for the group he served day by day.
“He was just an outgoing, friendly guy, always smiling,” mentioned Rick Wendling. “He just was infectious with his smile.”
Wendling knew Deputy Hartwick for about 10 years. Both are members of Tampa Bay Lodge #252.
Wendling mentioned Hartwick cherished bikes and that they each rode collectively, expressing the opening he leaves behind is tough to know.
“When he walked into a room, you knew he was here,” mentioned Wendling. “He was big, bald like me. He was a terrific guy. It’s going to be a hard spot to fill for him.”
Friends remember Deputy Hartwick as a real man of service each for his profession and in his fraternity, as a father and a buddy.
“He was just welcoming. He was just the funniest most, I’ve never seen him not smile,” mentioned Rusty Valle with Tampa Bay Lodge #252. “I think the picture that we saw today here at the Sheriff’s Office was the first time I saw him not smiling, and that’s pretty much the experience that all of us experienced when we met Mike.”
Across the Bay, Tampa Police held a second of silence to honor Deputy Hartwick throughout a ceremony Friday morning.
“It’s a calling to serve,” mentioned Chief Mary O’Connor. “Self-sacrifice for service. We are all born to do this, and we spend years and years just serving selflessly to make sure that others are safe in the community.”
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has now misplaced two deputies within the line of responsibility in lower than two years.
It’s a tragic loss that takes a toll on native law enforcement, however Jonathan Vazquez, the President of the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, defined on the finish of the day, there’s no query these in law enforcement will proceed their work to guard and serve.
“The men and women who choose to put this uniform on are selfless, they have courage, and they have honor, and more importantly, they want to represent and take care of the community that they work for,” mentioned Vazquez.