Hollister Police Department Officer Mike Paddy entered law enforcement a bit later than some and has only three years under his duty belt. But don’t mistake that later start as a lack of experience—the 30-year-old has seen and done more than many people his age.
Currently the department’s School Resource Officer, Paddy attributes his calm demeanor and control under pressure in part to his being a Marine and serving two tours—a total of 16 months—in Ar Rutbah and Rawah, Iraq.
“Being in the military helped with me being able to deal with stress of the job,” he said. “I had some friends and family in law enforcement, but wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted to do after being in the Marine Corps. That’s basically what I did in the military; I was infantry and we patrolled the streets.”
These days, Paddy is often found mingling among elementary and middle school students, answering random questions and playing a little basketball during recess.
“The kids get really excited,” Paddy said. “They want to participate and have you tell them about yourself. It’s really cool to have these kids with this positive aspect (dealing with police.) I just want to be positive and let them see I’m not scary.”
Born in the Philippines to missionary parents, Paddy, who has two older sisters and a younger brother, spent much of his own youth moving from city to city with his family. His father, a pastor, worked at various churches and would move every few years. It wasn’t until Paddy was about 14 that his family moved again and decided to call Los Banos home—at least for a while.
“It was tough growing up,” Paddy said. “(But in Los Banos, my parents) said, ‘We’ll let you stay here for high school.’ And I was really appreciative. It was tough. That was one of the reasons I got out of the military. I wanted to be stable and I want my kids to grow up somewhere.”
After he graduated in 2003 from Los Banos High School—where he met and dated his now-wife—Paddy left California for Wisconsin to attend college. Six months in, he realized he wasn’t happy and returned to California, eventually joining the Marine Corps.
“I kind of wanted to be a firefighter before I joined the Marines,” he said. “But I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, if I really wanted to be a firefighter. I had some friends in the Marines who talked to me about it and it sounded really exciting. It seemed like something I’d enjoy.”
Aside from friends, Paddy also had another strong inspiration.
“My grandfather was in Korea in the Marines,” he said. “He was infantry as well. That’s why I chose the Marines; I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He was really happy and proud of me.”
During Paddy’s first deployment—to Ar Rutbah, near the Syrian border—he received word via the Red Cross that his grandfather had died.
“It was really tough when he died, especially because I couldn’t come home,” he said, adding his grandfather received full military honors at a veterans’ memorial cemetery in Lynnwood, Wash.
When he finished active duty in 2009, he used the GI Bill to attend Evergreen and Foothill colleges, and went on ride-alongs with various police departments to see if he’d fit in law enforcement.
He did.
Paddy put himself through the police academy and, three years ago, was hired by Hollister Police Department. Coincidentally, his dad was hired on with South Valley Community Church in Hollister about the same time.
“What makes SRO Paddy a great officer is that he truly cares about those he serves,” Police Chief David Westrick said. “He is dedicated, hardworking and humble. He is also a U.S. military veteran. We have a full team of police officers just like SRO Paddy.”
As the lone Hollister SRO, Paddy covers nine elementary and middle schools—and teaches the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program to fourth- and sixth-graders in the district. The program teaches the dangers of gangs, violence and bullying, among other topics, through six weeks of classes for fourth-graders and 13 weeks for sixth-graders. Paddy said he hopes the program will make kids rethink decisions they will be faced with in the future.
“There are brainstorming activities where they’re given a scenario and have to come up with solutions on their own,” he said. “It’s really important for kids to see that (there are options).”
Now a father himself—he and his wife of nine years have a 6-month-old daughter—Paddy said being a dad is unlike anything else.
“The moment they come out, you just can’t explain what that moment is like,” he said. “It’s amazing. When I go home and see her, she laughs and smiles. She’s just awesome.”
Though he, his wife and their new daughter live in Los Banos, he said Hollister Police Department is a great fit for him; the small department is a family in itself.
“Everyone bonds and knows each other,” Paddy said. “You can talk to anybody about anything and the doors are always open. If you have a question or suggestion that might better the department, they listen.”
His career began as a patrol officer, but Paddy was offered the SRO position about a year ago. He said the position, which he will hold for two years total, is a nice change of pace.
“I see the guys and hear the stories about the stuff they’re doing, the stuff I’d be doing on patrol,” he said. “I miss a little of the excitement, but this is what I signed up for. I try to do the best at whatever I’m doing. Plus, I was infantry in Iraq. So I’ve had my share of excitement. It’s nice to kind of wind down a little and not have anything too stressful.”
Paddy acknowledged being an SRO isn’t exactly what he’d planned on doing when he chose to become a police officer, but it’s definitely fulfilling.
“It’s a different type of law enforcement,” he said. “You don’t think about teaching kids and hanging out with kids. (Cops) usually don’t get people saying thanks. But I’m in a unique position. I have teachers, parents and administration saying ‘thank you’ and ‘good job, Paddy.’ Everyone wants that.”
Something no officer wants, but a circumstance he came face-to-face with early in his career, is what Paddy called a “shoot or don’t shoot” situation: a suspect aimed a gun directly at him before fleeing and throwing the weapon. He said it’s something he thinks about quite often.
“I was a brand new officer and I chose not to shoot because in that moment I didn’t feel the immediate threat,” Paddy said. “I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to shoot in the military, and his facial expression, he was more scared. But when we recovered the gun, there was a round in the chamber. Did he try to shoot me? That bothers me.”
He added that statistics show an officer is faced with a shoot or don’t shoot situation once or twice in their career. Paddy said he hopes he will never have to face a similar situation again.
“It’s difficult. You have to make a split-second decision without always knowing all the facts,” he said. “Somebody’s coming at you and you don’t know if they have a weapon, and you have to make that decision. Sometimes it’s the right one and sometimes it’s not. But then you have to live with it.”
A decision Paddy is happy to have made is the one when he became Hollister Police Department’s SRO. He told the story of a man walking along the shore among thousands of starfish, tossing them one-by-one back into the ocean. Another man asked why he was doing it, as there’s no way he’d be able to save all the starfish.
“That’s how I feel,” Paddy said. “Some of these kids are probably beyond my realm of reach, but if I have a positive impact and show them that we care about them, that’s all that matters. If I can reach just one kid and make him rethink a decision, that’s what I’m here for.”