South Division Patrol Officer Michael Gainey has been with CMPD since May of 2021. Before that, he served 18 years with the Mint Hill Police Department. He also served active duty in the military for several years and has 24 years of experience in the Army Reserve.
Learn more about Officer Gainey’s move as a lateral officer.
What drew you to law enforcement as a career?
I like helping people that need and want help. I believe being a police officer is a calling and I can recall when I was a kid always looking up to police officers. I also liked the structure and discipline, especially coming from the military.
What attracted you to CMPD?
The opportunities in training. I’m a general instructor for the state of North Carolina so it opened more opportunities to help train recruits, which is a passion of mine. Also – 21 years into my career I’m starting to think of retirement – no one compared in terms of salary and growth to CMPD.
What’s your experience been like at the training academy?
I’m a general instructor and also a special instructor for physical fitness and defensive tactics. I get joy out of training new officers, showing them what I’ve learned in my 21 years of service and showing them what doing things right looks like.
What are the next steps for your career at CMPD?
For a lateral officer – you have to serve at least 2 years before you put in for a promotion. I want to go that route. I’m a command major in the army reserve, so it may be in my DNA to lead. So I’m looking forward to the promotion process with CMPD.
How does CMPD support military members?
CMPD has great support for the military. They were very supportive of my time spent away in the Army Reserve. There are a lot of officers who started in the military and from what I’ve seen since I’ve been here, CMPD has really supported them.
Would you advise other law enforcement officers to transfer to CMPD?
I was nervous about making that change especially having spent 18 years with one department. It’s a big decision. But I would encourage anyone to come to CMPD. There are a lot of opportunities. You don’t just have to be a patrol officer, which may be your only option in a smaller department. There’s so much stuff you can do, so many different aspects of law enforcement that you don’t get at a smaller agency.
Ready to join Officer Gainey and the men and women of CMPD? Whether you’re new to law enforcement or have experience at another organization, expand your career at CMPD.
