It’s All About the Mindset
by Matt Swartz, New York State Police Capitol Division
In 1990, I enlisted in the New York Air National Guard as a Law Enforcement Specialist. It was here that I was exposed not only to police work, but also to policing on bicycles as some deployments were in remote areas in which we used bikes to get around. While completing my enlistment a few years later, I landed my dream job as a civilian police officer in my small hometown in upstate New York.
Although I was only a part-time officer, after about a year on patrol, I was asked by the Chief of Police to come up with some ideas for “community policing” which, in 1995, was “all the rage”. Some of the more common crimes occurring in town at that time were burglaries and disorderly youths, and my research led me to write a proposal for the department and the Village Board to start a police bicycle patrol. It was approved, and a very small budget was allowed for purchase of a bike and a few rudimentary items. I was off and away, with the program being highly regarded by the public and hated by the criminals. I went to my police cyclist school in October 1995, which was conducted by Patrolman John Fox in Poughkeepsie, NY.
After about a year, I took up a full-time job with the City of Johnstown Police Department. There, I was the patrolman assigned to bike patrol on the midnight shift. Many great stories and neat things happened over the years I worked for this department. A few years later, I tested and was accepted into the New York State Police as a Trooper assigned to patrol in the same area I was from and had already worked. Unfortunately, as a member of a large, full-service police agency serving the citizens of New York State, bike patrol was no longer an option for me.
My time as a Trooper was great until November 8, 2004, when I was involved in a very serious automobile crash while off-duty. A young kid not paying attention to his driving hit me broadside and sent me on a very different path. I awoke from a coma about a month later with severe traumatic brain injury, broken bones, and an amputated left leg.
While I was out of work, many of my therapy sessions would have rivaled the workouts of Rocky Balboa battling for the championship. Since running was tough in those early days, I found myself swimming when I could and, oddly enough, I was drawn toward the bicycle again. There was no doubt that some adjustments and considerations were needed for me to ride a bike as a leg amputee, but I was able to do it.
After almost a year of doctors’ appointments and physical therapy, I once again realized a dream and returned to my job as a State Trooper.
Fast forward a few years to March 2014, when I transferred to a different station for work. I transferred into the State Capitol Station in Albany for a patrol assignment. Since much of the post assignment is inside, including state office building and grounds, the bike patrol is an important part of the patrol activities. A few months ago, I was chatting with the Sergeant in charge of the bike patrol group and told him of my experience and with IPMBA and bike patrol. He said, “Why don’t you join up with us?” Needless to say, I dug out my old certificates and after a short skills test, I was approved for bike patrol. Manpower was a bit short around the holidays, so I was relegated back to car or foot depending on the assignment for the day, but I have since spent quite a few days on the bike again and I must say I miss it when I am on foot in or in the car.
When I arrived at the day I was eligible for retirement, I joked about it and said that I am only coming to work for the fun of it now. I was happy that I was able to do a little more than a month on the bike again but am not sure how much more I will be able to do before I officially pull the plug.
But I will say that it seems like a nice capstone to a wonderful career. Twenty years ago, when I started out as a rookie on the bike seems to be a strange contrast to the twenty-year veteran riding a bike for patrol minus a leg now.
Thank you for taking time to read my story. I will remain an active member with the Association and support the group in any way possible to help promote this unique and effective way of providing police and emergency services to the community.
On November 8, 2004, Trooper Matthew Swartz sustained skull fractures, a brain injury, a broken right arm, a crushed left foot, and a severed artery in his left leg. He was in a coma for five weeks and emerged to find that his left leg had been amputated below his knee. He persevered through physical therapy and learning to use a prosthetic leg, returning to full duty as a NYS Trooper on October 10, 2005.
Matt was presented with the New York State Senate’s Achievers’ Award on May 23, 2006. This prestigious award recognizes an individual's ability to overcome personal physical challenges and honors his or her accomplishments. On June 8, 2006, he received the New York State Assembly Excelsior Award. Matt has also served as a Peer Support Visitor for the Amputee Coalition of America; participated in the Wounded Warrior Project, assisting amputee soldiers learn how to water ski; and volunteered with the Windham Adaptive Sports Foundation’s summer programs for handicapped children.
(c) 2015 IPMBA. This article appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of IPMBA News.