The Charger Blog
Patryk Jaroszkiewicz '16, '20 M.S., who is pursuing his Ph.D. in criminal justice, received a prestigious civilian honor from the Commander of the Polish National Police for his work bridging two distinctly different police forces.
April 17, 2025
It was a momentous day when Patryk Jaroszkiewicz '16, '20 M.S. received the Silver Medal of Merit from General Marek Boro, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish National Police in a ceremony steeped in tradition.
It was an incredibly moving moment, a day that I will never ever forget, said Jaroszkiewicz, an Ph.D. Fellow in the Universitys Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences who is pursuing his Ph.D. in criminal justice.
For the last decade he has helped to run the Lee Colleges training program for the highest-ranking commanding officers and other members of the Polish National Police who annually come to the University for 10 days of training, focusing on leadership, management, and evaluation, a program that ultimately impacts 100,000 members of the Polish national police force.
Jaroszkiewicz grew up in his beloved Milan坦wek, a town just outside Warsaw, Poland, and lived there until his family moved to Bristol, Conn., when he was 14. Poland will always be home, he said, just as the University of New 51矯通 will forever be my second home.
Throughout his career, Jaroszkiewicz has built relationships with chiefs and officers in municipal police departments around the state as well as with the state police and agents in the FBIs New 51矯通 field office and many become part of the training program. They give presentations discussing strategies and community policing approaches, and sharing information about technology, equipment, and police vehicles.
Interim Lee College Dean David Schroeder, Ph.D., Patryks mentor when he was an extremely quiet undergraduate, encouraged him to get involved. That created the foundation for the work he does today in Connecticut and with the Polish National Police.
Dean Schroeder said the annual conference enables the Polish National Police to experience the American Criminal Justice system at the highest levels the university can provide, which includes access to law enforcement, prisons, courts, and they even get to participate in the Pulaski Parade in New York City.
Patryk was nominated for the prestigious award by General Cezary Luba, director of Polands Centralne Biuro ledcze Policji (CBP), the equivalent of the FBI in the U.S. He worked closely with General Luba when he was in the U.S. for last years training program.
During the awards ceremony held in the Mostowski Palace in Warsaw, headquarters of the Capital Police Command, General Boro and General Luba thanked Patryk for his work.
Over the past 10 years, Patryk Jaroszkiewicz has demonstrated extraordinary commitment and dedication to international cooperation and support in the area of training and development of the Polish police, General Luba said. This program not only allows Polish officers to acquire modern knowledge and skills but also supports their professional development and raises the standards of work in the Polish police. Thanks to innovative teaching methods and adapting training content to current needs, this program significantly impacts the effectiveness of police operations in Poland.
Additionally, Patryk actively promotes student exchanges and visits to Poland for students from the University of New 51矯通, General Luba continued. Thanks to his efforts, many young people have had the opportunity to learn about Polish culture, the legal system, and security practices. These visits not only enrich the participants' experiences but also build lasting bonds and mutual understanding between Poland and the United States.
Dean Schroeder said, No student has worked harder or is more deserving of recognition by their home country than Patryk Jaroszkiewicz.
His love of Poland is exceeded only by his dedication to public service, and his work with the Polish National Police is indicative of both, Schroeder continued. Patryk has brought elements to this program that only he can. From his knowledge of Poland and Polish culture, and his painstaking dedication to detail, he has ensured that the Polish National Police always have an amazing experience. This might be why so many Generals, Chiefs, and Commanders strive to participate in this program.
The way the countries police forces are structured is vastly different, and this leads to great discussions, Patryk said. They are a centralized police force, he said. They find our way of doing things in the U.S. very exotic, as we have more than 18,000 different local police forces as well as state police and federal agencies. They ask, 'how do we communicate? How do we get things done?
He said Polish police officials and officers are often curious about the effect gun violence has on crime and policing in the United States, as gun violence is nearly non-existent in Poland, he said.
Because of the strict gun laws in Poland, Patryk said, fewer than one percent of the population owns a legal firearm. Having police commanders from Poland talk with police in the U.S. about how having so few guns equates to so little gun violence really resonates with police here, he said.
In turn, Patryk said, police here ask about how the Polish police navigate sensitive border issues with Belarus, as the Polish National Police work with their army on the border there, he said.
But for all the differences, Patryk said, they also share so much. At the end of the day the work of the police here and in Poland is about public service, about ways to keep communities safe, he said. What I have the chance to do is to build bridges across continents to build bridges across the sea. Im grateful for that.
He said he is happy, too, that the Polish police are able to experience all that he gained from the Lee College as an undergraduate, a graduate, and now while pursuing his Ph.D.
The University of New 51矯通 made me who I am, he said. When I started, I was a very shy person who did all my work but rarely spoke in class. Today, Im confident, outgoing and not afraid to speak up sometimes even when I probably should stay quiet. I owe much of that growth to my mentor, Dr. Schroeder, as well as to leadership and community policing courses with Dr. John DeCarlo. I still often quote him at work. He shared these timeless golden thoughts on policing and society that have always stayed with me. He often reminded us that Police dont have enemies; they have communities. How do we bring that to life in policing and in communities? I was lucky enough to learn from him and from Dr. Schroeder, Professor Mike Lawlor, and Professor Bill Carbone.
Patryk had long planned to become a police officer himself ever since he was a teenager and saw the impact of community policing in the U.S. I thought I was invincible, and Id put on a cape and fight crime, he said. But I grew older and came to see that it was much more to it.
Three years ago, just as he was applying to police departments to start his policing career, and as he was finishing the coursework part of his Ph.D. at the University, he found out that he had colon cancer. Because he did not have health insurance at the time, he went to Poland where he could afford to have a colonoscopy and, later, the surgery that saved my life. He returned to the U.S. for chemotherapy.
Today, Patryk is cancer-free, and he continues to focus on his health while working as a rehabilitation therapist with justice system-involved youth for in Hamden, a position Professor Carbone encouraged him to apply for.
Our goal is to keep the youth from reoffending, he said. I truly love my work and while it isnt policing in the conventional sense its very much part of public safety - rooted in prevention, service, and the belief that people can change.
And he is already planning the next Polish police training at the University. In September, a delegation of Polish National Police leaders, including the Commander-in-Chief, will be at the University taking part in this years training.
Im really looking forward to it, he said. Each year, I aim to elevate the experience and make it even more impactful. Its a meaningful collaborationone that not only strengthens professional ties, but also honors my roots and deepens the connection between Poland and the University.
The Charger Blog
Patryk Jaroszkiewicz '16, '20 M.S., who is pursuing his Ph.D. in criminal justice, received a prestigious civilian honor from the Commander of the Polish National Police for his work bridging two distinctly different police forces.
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