Checking in with Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek

The last time we checked in on Michigan City police Chief Mark Swistek, he was committed to the community living in Michigan City and dedicated to serving them and bringing positivity through his job and interactions.

We are happy to report that since our last visit nothing has changed and Chief Swistek is just as dedicated to his community as he ever was before.

Positivity is something that does not come naturally to all people. For Swistek, his positivity is something that he uses in his everyday job.

“Being in a profession that receives a lot of negativity and deals with a lot of negativity, it is important that I come in everyday with a positive attitude,” Swistek said.

Swistek is someone who wants to see the community thrive. Not only is he still active in cleaning up the streets, but he is active in making the community a safer, better place. He and his officers go out and hand out footballs and basketballs so kids can get out, play outside and experience the outdoors, rather than sitting on the couch all day.

“Growing up, I saw my father come home with his uniform on everyday, telling me all the good stuff he did out in the community that day,” Swistek said. “So therefore, as a child at a very young age, I knew I wanted to be a servant to the Michigan City Community.”

Swistek continues to make the men and women of the police department his first priority. He ensures that they are provided with the best equipment and resources, in order to ensure their safety and to make sure they can effectively provide the best for the community. His second priority is analyzing the calls that come in from the city, and making sure that each call gets the attention needed in order to capture the bad guys and help those in need.

Swistek is also still active in many organizations and groups around Michigan City. When he is not going out and making the streets safer, he is out organizing events geared toward children. He is involved in the the MCPD Outreach Program that organizes and helps events such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Youth Leadership Academy, Boo at the Zoo and the Shop with a Cop program around Christmas time.

“I am very proud of what the department does in this community,” Swistek said, “That was one of my goals as Chief, so that people could see this department in a different light, so they can see us not as the enforcement arm of the law but a group that gives back to the community.” When Swistek became a father, it was the day that impacted his life tremendously. That was the day that made him begin to think twice about actions he would take in certain situations, because he could lose the family he has.

“When you bring a child into this world it truly means something to be a parent. My wife and I were very hands on parents, and I’ve really embraced becoming a parent,” Swistek said.

Positivity is something that does not come naturally to some people. For Chief Swistek of the Michigan City Police Department, positivity is something he continuously brings to the workplace everyday with him. In a time of everybody looking at police force’s negatively, Chief Swistek wants to keep sending their positivity into the community.