While some people become full-fledged officers early on in life, Patrolman Michael Novak did not become a full officer till the age of 44.
Before coming to the University of Rhode Island, Novak was a reserve officer for a few years in South Kingston. In 1997, he began working for the department as a part-time public properties officer, where he would go out at night and secure the academic buildings. Not too long after, a full-time position became available and he took that. About a year after accepting the full-time position, a police officer position opened up. Novak applied for it, got the job and went to the academy.
While Novak was five weeks into the program, he was doing an exercise where they were grappling with others, learning types of holds, how to throw and things of the such.
“That came natural to me because I was a wrestling coach for years,” he explained. However, while doing a static maneuver where they would have the other man lifted up over his shoulder. Novak explained that the long clothing they were wearing was slippery so while he was performing this, the 240-pound man slipped down and Novak’s knee snapped inwards, ripping his ACL and MCL.
“I made my mistake of having the biggest guy that day,” Novak said. His MCL healed itself but he needed surgery to repair his ACL. Many people doubted that he would go back to the academy, but he proved them wrong. Novak underwent physical therapy and spent six months prior to his return training to get his body back into shape.
A year to the day, Novak went back to the academy and graduated from it in 1999, becoming a full police officer for URI. In 2003, Novak decided to take the opportunity that the Community College of Rhode Island offered, going to college for the first time and earning two degrees over the years.
“It took me a long time to get these degrees,” Novak said. “Going part-time and taking two-to-three credits every semester.” But he did it and got an AS in criminal justice and an AS in paralegal.
Over the years with the police department, Novak has earned countless certificates that helped with different aspects of the job working for the department. Such as a search and rescue certificate that helped him find a missing man after the man had fled after accidentally hitting a pedestrian on Flagg Road years back. While the man was found a few days later in the woods and deceased, Novak was glad to have been able to give some peace of mind to his family.
Novak also had a hand in providing police details for high officials that come to the university. He explained that the police department was never told that these officials, such as the governor and congressmen, were coming. So he reached out to help provide police escorts for when they come to campus.
“In today’s climate, you never know,” he said, explaining that getting that program going is one of his proudest achievements. Novak also shared another one of his proudest, yet craziest moments as an officer which was a few years ago when the school had a shooter scare in Chafee. He was one of the three officers that went into the building, unarmed and without any bulletproof vest.
“All your senses are alive,” Novak said, explaining that your sixth sense comes into play while you are looking for something out of place. While he and other officers put themselves in the line of danger, Novak wants to remind students that they are just like them.
“We’re mothers, we’re fathers, we’re sisters, we’re brothers,” Novak said. “[It’s] the same thing. We just have a job to do.”