As a young boy growing up in Maplewood, the sight of a police car excited Mike Duzan like nothing else could. At a time when most kids would be wary of an approaching officer, Duzan couldn’t wait to see who was wearing the badge inside.

“I’d see the squad car pull up and I’d look to see if it was Uncle Joe,” he said.

Sgt. Joe Bergeron was Duzan’s hero and the reason he later became a police officer himself. Bergeron, a 26-year-veteran of the Maplewood Police Department, was fatally shot last Saturday as he attempted to confront a pair of alleged carjackers. He was 49 years old.

Sgt. Joe Bergeron: (Courtesy: Maplewood Police Dept)Sgt. Duzan, who has served as a Chaska police officer for the last 15 years, said police work was just a small part of who his uncle was.

“He comes from a large family,” said Duzan. “When we would get together, you’d look for pile of kids and find him. Everyone gravitated toward him.”

Everyone, including Duzan.

“I looked up to him,” he said. “I was extremely proud of my uncle.”

When Duzan was in high school, Bergeron let him ride along with him several times he patrolled the streets of Maplewood.

“I was about 16 or 17,” Duzan recalled. “I was hooked.

“There I was sitting next to my hero, watching him help people,” he continued. “I would have spent 24 hours in that car with him, even if there was nothing to do.”

After graduating high school, Duzan mulled over the opportunities ahead of him, including a scholarship to Alaska.

“I didn’t really want to be in Alaska,” Duzan realized. Instead, he wanted to become a police officer like his Uncle Joe.

He broke the news of his decision to his uncle who responded by saying, “‘Aw Mikey’ – he never called me Michael, always Mikey,’” Duzan recalled.  “‘You’re young and full of energy “You probably think you can change the world.’”

Bergeron was right. With his uncle as a shining example, Duzan “knew every single day he could change somebody’s world.”

“He left an impression on everyone he had contact with,” said Duzan of his uncle. “He treated people with dignity.”

When Duzan finally became a police officer, his uncle beamed with pride. “He told me I was going to be a good cop,” said Duzan, his voice wavering at the memory.

“He’s my measuring stick,” Duzan continued. “I knew I’d be a successful cop the day I was like Uncle Joe.”

“I can attest that Joe was proud of his nephew at the Chaska Police Department,” wrote Maplewood Police Deputy Chief Dave Kvam in an e-mail. “He spoke of him often.”

Worst fears

Duzan learned about his uncle’s shooting while at work last Saturday. Around 7 a.m. he caught chatter on the scanner.

“Something was going on,” he said. “They were gearing up for something bad.”

As a previous St. Paul police officer, Duzan worried about his former co-workers.

“I had a big fear that one of my friends had been hurt in St. Paul,” he recalled.

But it wasn’t long before he heard that a Maplewood officer had been shot.

“I had a sinking feeling,” he said. “A little while later my worst fears were realized.” Bergeron had been shot and killed.

Duzan is devastated by the death of his uncle.

“There was no secret that it was a dangerous job,” he said.

“He wasn’t even supposed to be at work that day,” Duzan added. “He was going to retire in January.”

“This is the kind of tragedy that comes with the job and can happen anywhere,” said Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight. “Officers have to come to work every day knowing that they could find themselves in a violent encounter. They have to be prepared.”

Knight said that an incident like this does “shake everyone’s world” but also brings a police department closer to one another.

“We come together as a strong family,” he said.

“Officers are reminded in this job we place a high level of importance on serving other people and the sanctity of human life,” Knight added.

Memory

Duzan said that even though his uncle is gone, he will continue to soldier on as a police officer.

“Everyone has it once in awhile where they question their job,” he said. “But somebody’s gotta show up when people need help. I love helping.”

Duzan will keep asking himself “How would Uncle Joe handle this?” when confronted with various situations at work. He will take with him the lessons his uncle taught him about how to effectively do his job, including treating people right.

“When I show up, I want people to feel better,” said Duzan.

And he will keep his uncle’s memory alive whether it’s thinking back to his first ride-along, recalling their time spent serving together on the Maplewood Fire Department or reminiscing about their carp fishing expeditions.

“He loved life and everybody loved him,” said Duzan. “He was a great father, a great family man and a great cop.”

Most of all, Duzan will remember how watching a man do his job well, influenced his own career and life.

“I’m a cop today because of Uncle Joe,” he said. “One hundred percent.”

-Mollee Francisco, staff writer