PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Hartwick is being remembered as someone who selflessly gave his life for the community he served every day.
“He was just an outgoing, friendly guy, always smiling,” said 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 said Hartwick loved motorcycles and that they both rode together, expressing the hole he leaves behind is hard to grasp.
“When he walked into a room, you knew he was here,” said 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 genuine man of service both for his career and in his fraternity, as a father and a friend.
“He was just welcoming. He was just the funniest most, I’ve never seen him not smile,” said 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 moment of silence to honor Deputy Hartwick during a ceremony Friday morning.
“It’s a calling to serve,” said 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 lost two deputies in the line of duty in less than two years.
It’s a tragic loss that takes a toll on local law enforcement, but Jonathan Vazquez, the President of the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, explained at the end of the day, there’s no question those in law enforcement will continue their work to protect 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,” said Vazquez.
