GREENFIELD — In the days around Thanksgiving, Greenfield Police Officers Marcus Paulin and Jason Kratz, carrying a combined 58 years of service, walked out of the station for the last time.
Paulin, who served for 31 years, and Kratz, who served for 27 years, were both met with fanfare and recognition from dispatchers and fellow officers in the Greenfield Police Department parking lot on their final days of Nov. 26 and Nov. 28, respectively. Their replacements have not yet been finalized, according to Police Chief Todd Dodge.
Marcus Paulin
Paulin, a 55-year-old Greenfield native, said he joined the force when he was 24 for the sole reason of wanting to help people. As a child growing up at Leyden Woods Apartments, he bonded with the officers patrolling his neighborhood and knew, from a young age, that he wanted to be a police officer.
“I remember one day where [the officer] let me sit in the police car. I didn’t know anything about the job or the career at that point, but I can recall that, as a young child, kind of attracting me,” Paulin said. “As I grew, I just had a desire to help people. That’s what policing, or being a police officer, is all about. It’s about helping people, protecting people in your community and being fortunate enough to have the ability to make a difference in someone’s life.”
In his more than three-decade-long span of service, Paulin recalled the tremendous amount of change he saw in the Greenfield Police Department, including the station’s move from Main Street to High Street in 1999 and numerous shifts in leadership.
Paulin served on the Special Response Team for 15 years and on the Honor Guard for 20 years. Over the course of his law enforcement career, Paulin received 12 Lifesaving Awards, which are given by the Greenfield Police Department, but signed and authorized by outside medical services, such as American Medical Response (AMR). He has also received a Meritorious Service Award from the Greenfield Police Department.
Having served for 15 years as a field training officer, Paulin described his role as a mentor to newer officers as one of the most rewarding aspects of his job.
“When I came on, I was fortunate enough, like a lot of the old-time officers really took me under their wing. That can kind of make or break any career, let alone something in this field, like the policing field,” he said. “All of a sudden, it’s 31 years, and I’m the old-timer. But, I’d like to think that sometime in-between then and now, that there are some officers at the department that would feel that I did that for them.”
Describing the feeling of signing off for the last time as being “bittersweet” and emotional, Paulin added that as difficult as it was to step away from a career that he loved, he remains grateful to his family for their years of support. He thanked his wife, Jennifer, for her understanding and positivity throughout his career.
“I will now have more time to treasure watching my children enjoy their successes up to this point in their lives and continue watching them as they stride toward their future goals,” Paulin said. “Thank you to my absolutely perfect wife Jennifer, as her selfless understanding and positive support helped carry me through my entire career. Both my children have always been there for me and in ways they don’t even realize.”
Jason Kratz
Kratz, 53, was hired as a Greenfield officer in February 1999 after beginning his law enforcement career as a federal ranger for the National Park Service at Boston National Historical Park and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.
“You are always ready and proactive to help your fellow officers and are a favorite among many citizens of Greenfield who have had the opportunity to meet you.”
Greenfield Police Dispatch
When asked about his proudest accomplishments serving as a police officer, Kratz said that he took pride in his ability to stay in the public field — a career that he described as being as challenging as it is fruitful — for as long as he did.
“I would say just making it this long in public service is a big deal,” Kratz said. “There’s changes in politics and society … and you have to go along with the changes in some way or another, but physically and emotionally, mentally and spiritually, it’s very difficult. It’s kind of like wearing this huge backpack.”
Kratz, assigned to his radio badge number “123,” was recognized on police radio, in part, for his characteristic honesty, and at times, humorous tone. He explained that his responses were simply “human,” in a medium in which officers are often expected to “be robotic.”
The department alluded to Kratz’s recognizable voice on the radio in the final sign-off to him, in which the dispatcher explained that his presence will be missed within the Police Department, as well as in the broader community.
“You will be missed by all members of this department who have had the privilege of working alongside you and will be missed by the citizens of Greenfield whose lives you have positively impacted throughout your career,” the dispatcher said. “Your radio transmissions, full of character, have been enjoyed county-wide and many people who you don’t even realize will miss hearing you every day on the radio.”