Volunteer officer retires from duty
GREENWICH — One of the longestserving lawmen in Greenwich recently hung up his gun and his badge.
Joseph Havranek, 75, worked his last shift as a special police officer directing traffic during Memorial Day observances, and his certification to work in a blue uniform with a Greenwich patch on his shoulder expired June 30.
Havranek joined the Greenwich law enforcement sector in 1976 as a volunteer, known in town as a special officer, more commonly called an auxiliary police officer in other communities. He was driven to carry a badge, he
said, even though he had a good job as a logistics coordinator with General Foods in Westchester County, N.Y.
“Even when I had a goodpaying job, I wanted to fill out an application with the police department,” Havraneck said. He worked in the police and security section of the U.S. Air Force, in the Air Police, where he met his wife, Barbara, another Air Force service member. “I still had that feeling that I wanted to be a police officer, it never left me,” he recalled.
He was a special officer from 1976 until 1989. Havranek was too old to join as a paid member of the department. But the law changed, and he became a professional police officer at the age of 45. The other recruits were in their early 20s.
It was a smooth transition to become a fulltime
member of the force. Havranek had gone out regularly with the paid police officers, and he knew the community well. “It was easy for me, I knew the department, the roads, the community,” Havranek recalled, even though, he notes, he was the “oldest rookie” Greenwich had ever seen.
He had an eventful career as a cop. Havranek received commendations for working at a bad accident scene, and disarming an emotionally disturbed young man who was acting in a threatening manner toward a family member. He and another officer evacuated a building that they noticed was burning.
Looking back on his law enforcement career, Havranek said, “Police work is not for everyone. You do it for love, not money.”
He was a paid officer through 2006, when he again became a volunteer police officer.
Being an auxiliary police officer in Greenwich is far from becoming a member of an oldtimers club. Maintaining the certification requires regular retraining and testing, Havranek noted, and it entails a significant commitment. What kept him going? “I want to help people,” Havranek said, and to him, that was more than a cliche. The retired officer meant it, backing up his words with thousands of hours of community and volunteer work, along with his wife. They have volunteered with a soup kitchen in Stamford, and Neighbor to Neighbor in Greenwich, among other activities.
The couple, who live in Cos Cob, have three kids and two grandkids, and they enjoy traveling.
Volunteer works keeps them fit and active, Barbara Havrenek said, giving them a good feeling at the end of the day. “It’s a fulfillment and a pleasure, knowing you can do something for someone else,” she said.
“Plus, I don’t have any hobbies,” he joked.
Joseph Havranek says the ties to the community are another source of gratification. He says he often kids his senior friends who have moved to a warmer climate down south. “I’ve found a great place to retire, it’s called Greenwich, Connecticut,” he said. “We have some many friends and connections here, we couldn’t go someplace else.”