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Durango police officer retires after 28 years

Ron Wysocki investigated serious car crashes, was passionate about traffic safety
Ron Wysocki, with Durango Police Department, escorts cyclists through Durango after the start of the 2022 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic men’s road race. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

If you were pulled over by a Durango police officer on a motorcycle in the last 15 years, you’ve likely met Ron Wysocki, former Durango Police Department officer who retired earlier this month after 28 years on the force.

Wysocki was the only officer working for the city of Durango who was certified to enforce traffic laws on a motorcycle. At work, he rode a 2011 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, and on weekends and holidays, he frequently participated in long-distance “iron butt rides,” including from Colorado to his home state, Michigan.

Wysocki’s interest in law enforcement began as a Michigan high school student when he joined a law enforcement explorer program. Nobody in his immediately family was in law enforcement, but he thought the job was virtuous.

“We did things that we probably shouldn’t have as kids, and those were my first interactions with officers – you know, back then in high school,” he said. “I always thought it was a noble job.”

When Wysocki graduated high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a security police officer for 9½ years. While Wysocki was stationed in Colorado Springs, he fell in love with Colorado and resolved to live and retire in what he perceived as a beautiful state. But upon leaving the military, Wysocki joined his parents in Albuquerque where they had retired. He worked as a captain for the security firm Guardsmark and protected the largest cash vault in the state of New Mexico.

After about a year with Guardsmark, Wysocki decided it was finally time to move to Colorado, where he was admitted to a police academy in Denver. He applied for every county law enforcement department in Colorado, but ultimately landed a job with the city of Durango in 1994.

Durango Police Department Chief Bob Brammer, left, presents retiring officer Ron Wysocki with a plaque during a retirement party in his honor on July 1. Wysocki officially retired on the Fourth of July. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

At the Durango Police Department, Wysocki worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic enforcement officer and investigator. But he always liked traffic enforcement the best.

“I like to be outdoors, I’m an outdoorsy person,” he said. “I’d rather be out in the field instead of behind the desk. I felt like I was getting burnt out on investigations, so I didn’t want to do it anymore.”

So after six years as an investigator, Wysocki went back to traffic. Sgt. Deck Shaline, who has been with the Durango Police Department for 35 years, said Wysocki is passionate about traffic safety.

“He was always smiling and enthusiastic about his job. I think he liked what he did,” Shaline said. “He made lots of traffic stops, wrote lots of tickets and gave lots of warnings. So traffic safety was an overriding motivation for him.”

Wysocki said treating people with respect was always a priority for him. He was usually able to maintain a calm demeanor, saying Durango is relatively safe.

“Nothing really exciting happened when I was on the department, as far as danger,” he said. “But we encourage people to lock their doors and not to leave their keys running in their car. There are those in our community that will take advantage of that.”

But as Durango grows, so do the number of road rage incidents, he said.

“We’re getting too many cars,” he said. “People are just rude to each other. We get a lot of traffic complaints about aggressive drivers. We get a lot of those daily. Mainly road rage incidents.”

Durango Police Department officer Ron Wysocki writes a citation to the driver of a car that was clipped by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train in 2018 at 32nd Street. The driver apparently went through flashing red railroad lights, Wysocki said. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Wysocki says he got some crazy excuses for speeding.

“A guy was coming into town – basically he had a dead dog in his car and he had to take it to the crematorium,” he said. “He was speeding because it closed at 5 p.m. and he wasn’t going to make it. I couldn’t give him a ticket for that, you know?”

Shaline said Wysocki also handled Durango’s most serious crash investigations. The most common reasons drivers end up in crashes in Durango is because of inattentive driving or following too closely, Wysocki said. His advice to Durango drivers is to leave early, take your time and don’t engage in road rage. If things get out of hand, drivers should call the police and avoid taking matters into their own hands.

Wysocki said his goal was to work 30 years for the Durango Police Department. But a younger, less experienced officer took over his position in traffic enforcement, he said.

“It kind of made me angry, and that’s why I left early,” he said. “They would’ve moved me back into patrol, and I didn’t want to get into that position.”

Wysocki retired two years before reaching his goal.

Efforts to reach Chief Bob Brammer for comment Friday evening were not immediately successful.

Ron Wysocki says policing is a more difficult field now than when he started because of limitations being put on officers. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

“Nationwide, law enforcement is having a hard time finding qualified candidates,” Wysocki said. “Law enforcement – it’s a different career nowadays than when I started. It’s a more difficult career field now, just because of the limitations they put on police officers.”

In additions to new limitations, Wysocki says there has been an uptick in animosity toward officers in Durango during the past few years.

“Just a few days before I retired I saw a young kid on a bicycle, you know, and I’m in my unmarked patrol car, and he’s giving me the finger as I drive by,” Wysocki said. “That’s not uncommon to see nowadays. People give that kind of message to us.”

Ron Wysocki, left, and Rob Haukeness monitor the intersection of East Second Avenue and Eighth Street in 2016. At the time of Wysocki’s retirement, he was the only officer certified to enforce traffic law on a motorcycle. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Wysocki said those who support law enforcement have also been more vocal.

“People actually come up to us, approach us, and say thank you for what you do, and that’s good to hear,” he said.

Durango Police Department officer Ron Wysocki investigates a collision that occurred between a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and an SUV at the intersection of 20th Street and East Second Avenue in 2013. (Durango Herald file)

Wysocki retired patriotically on the Fourth of July. This is the first year in many that he did not lead the Durango Independence Day Parade.

“I heard that apparently people were asking where I was at by name, and that was nice to hear,” he said. “I really did enjoy the entire time I was there. I enjoyed working. I didn’t even consider it a job. If you enjoy what you do, it doesn’t really feel like a job. It was a pleasure to work for the city of Durango and the community of Durango.”

kpercival@durangoherald.com

Ron Wysocki takes a spin on a course set up for the department’s annual driver training in July 2015. (Durango Herald file)


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