After 23 years of public service to the people of Madison, Central District Captain Mike Hanson of the Madison Police Department retired on June 5.
Beginning his career as a police officer in May of 2001 at the age of 29, Captain Hanson served in many different roles across his tenure, including positions as public information officer, neighborhood officer, patrol and training sergeant, West District lieutenant, South District captain, and retiring as a captain of the Central District.
Captain Hanson, who is a husband and father of three, is a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison. In his retirement, he is looking forward to volunteering around the Madison community, continuing to teach at Northwestern University, and spending time with loved ones.
‘Serving the community I grew up in’
At the annual Blue Mass, a Mass that recognizes police, fire, and first responders, held last month at St. Bernard Parish in Madison, Captain Hanson said in his closing remarks that “I leave here very proud and humbled for serving the community that I grew up in and even more, my mother. She has been my faith beacon growing up — a very, very dedicated Catholic.
“She was married to somebody in law enforcement and never dreamt that I would [pursue this career], but when you name your son after the patron saint of police [St. Michael the Archangel], what did you expect?” Captain Hanson joked to her and the crowd.
It was through the example of his mother that Captain Hanson first learned and developed his faith. “What I’ve learned in this job is people like [my mother] — that have a strong faith — are very confident, confident in their lives, and they’re also at peace”, he said in a recent interview.
“In the numerous conflict resolution engagements that I’ve been involved in, you learn people are so bitter or angered, or live their lives bitter or angered for whatever reasons they may have. I used to judge it more, but as I dive into their story, [I’ve realized] they really don’t have hope and they don’t have a faith life.”
Instead, Captain Hanson, inspired by his mother and in his vocation as a husband and father, has observed that people who have faith “seem to have a bounce in confidence and a bounce in their outlook towards life”.
“They are very positive people and that has been inspirational for me. I try to share that message,” he continued.
Writing letters of hope
As he took on a more administrative role later in his career, Captain Hanson found a way to share the message of hope, a message he dedicates to the late Msgr. Mike Burke, longtime pastor of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison.
That message, to “keep hope alive,” was given to families that had recently experienced tragedy. After each tragic event, Captain Hanson wrote a letter to the affected family.
He said he began the practice because “I wanted families to know that they weren’t just a number — this was somebody’s life. The officers that responded are also affected and are thinking of you and your loved ones.”
Before writing letters though, for Captain Hanson, the message of hope “began and only strengthened with prayer”. It was through prayer that Captain Hanson first built trust and hope in the Lord, and it was how he was able to process difficult scenarios throughout his career.
He said, “When I think of some of the things that have happened to children or innocent people or great parents that died tragically, all those things over the years. . . the first part [of processing these scenarios] is praying over what just happened and then praying for the families that are affected, the loved ones left behind,” Captain Hanson said.
Captain Hanson also remembered when he first entered law enforcement.
He said that “I entered my first few years in patrol at what I’d still consider a young age, [I was] judging and being critical of things and people and how things are done. What I’ve learned, through the faith journey and through these experiences, is that everyone is someone’s child. Everyone is God’s child. When you have that lens, for me, I became less critical, less judgmental.”
These lessons: To hope, to pray, and to refrain from judgement are the ways Captain Hanson has formed his faith life and the faith of his family, and among those many lessons, Captain Hanson said that “The biggest thing I learned in this career is the fragility of life, how fragile life really is.
“I appreciate every minute I have with loved ones and to not be bitter over things, not to argue over things, not to be conflicted over things — because at the end of the day, things happen in a second, and how do you want to spend your time on Earth?”
Captain Hanson said that “life changes in a second” and in the moments of tragedy he’s witnessed, the families “would love to have those 30 seconds back,” which is why he’s learned to value time, especially time with loved ones so highly.
While Captain Hanson will miss “the mission and what [officers] represent in society” and being “held to a higher standard when you’re in uniform,” he said that, as he reflects on 23 years of public service, “This was the greatest career for me, and I leave here with an enormous amount of pride.”