WADESBORO- Officer Kazimierz “Casey” Zapadka remembers when he helped rescue a 90-year-old gentleman from a burning home in 2014. The incident occurred while Zapadka was a corporal assigned to the patrol division of the Mint Hill Police Department in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

“I went to a house where there was an active burning fire. When I arrived there, they said there was a 90-year-old man inside of the house,” explained Zapadka, who added, “As I was looking in the house, I saw the silhouette of someone walking inside as the fire continued to burn.”

Zapadka talked to the gentleman slowly and thoroughly, “Come towards me, come towards my voice. Let’s get out of this house.” Later, Zapadka found out the gentleman had a cognitive impairment. “In a way, I believe I really helped him getting out of the house,” he said.

It was while he was in high school that Zapadka first became interested in law enforcement. “When I was in high school, I was very close with my school resource officer. I always followed him, Always asked him questions. He sparked my interest in becoming a law enforcement officer,” said Zapadka.

Following high school, Zapadka would attend some college before entering Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) when he turned 21. “It’s what they call a recruit school,” explained Zapadka of BLET. “It was great. They gave me knowledge of North Carolina laws. Physical training was part of it. There were a lot of classroom hours to complete. Over 600 hours of training,” he added. In North Carolina, BLET is required to be certified as a law enforcement officer.

“I started my career in law enforcement in 2009 in the city of Newton of Catawba County, N.C. I loved the job. I still have a passion for it,” said Zapadka. He would go on to work as a campus police officer at Belmont Abbey College and as a Corporal at the Mint Hill Police Department.

Opportunity brought Zapadka to work in Wadesboro. Originally from Connecticut, the small-town feel of Wadesboro appealed to him. “It’s a great place where everybody knows everyone else and there is a closeness within the community,” said Zapadka, who has been with the Wadesboro Police Department since June 20, 2019.

In Nov. 2019, Zapadka was awarded the Advanced Law Enforcement Certification, which is the highest certificate a law enforcement officer can achieve in the state. In order to qualify, an officer must have years of experience under their belt as well as dozens of hours of education in classes like Police Law Institute and Field Training Officer.

“It’s more of an award for my years of experience as a law enforcement officer,” explained Zapadka, who added, “It’s a great feeling being recognized for that.” In addition to the Advanced Law Enforcement Officer Certificate, Zapadka also has certificates from the state of North Carolina in the Advanced Field Training Officer, First Line Supervision, and Background Investigations programs.

Officer Kazimierz “Casey” Zapadka poses with his Advanced Law Enforcement Officer certificate.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_Hero.jpgOfficer Kazimierz “Casey” Zapadka poses with his Advanced Law Enforcement Officer certificate.

Officer “Casey” Zapadka helped rescue an elderly gentleman from a burning home in 2014.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_3c.jpgOfficer “Casey” Zapadka helped rescue an elderly gentleman from a burning home in 2014.

It was his high school resource officer that first sparked Officer “Casey” Zapadka’s interest in law enforcement.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_2b.jpgIt was his high school resource officer that first sparked Officer “Casey” Zapadka’s interest in law enforcement.

By Charles Wood

Staff Writer

Reach Charles Wood at cwood@ansonrecord.com or at (704) 994 5471