A dedicated public servant recently retired in O’Hara.
But he didn’t stay retired for long.
Mere days after retiring from a 25-year career with the O’Hara Township Police Department, David Harajda took on another full-time policing post — this time as a school security officer at in the Pine-Richland School District.
His last day on patrol in O’Hara was Oct. 4.
Three days later, Harajda started patrolling the halls at Hance Elementary School.
Harajda, 54, said he has mixed emotions about stepping away from serving the community he still resides in with his wife, Lisa.
The couple, married for 25 years, have two adult daughters.
“I’m definitely going to miss some of my partners and the relationships that I’ve built within the community,” Harajda said.
He capped his O’Hara career with a “10-4” retirement party with colleagues and friends in Blawnox — 10-4 means “OK” in police call code.
“After nearly 30 years as a police officer, it’s absolutely an adjustment to be doing something else,” Harajda said.
However, serving in a new law enforcement role with students is rewarding, he noted.
“The exciting part is that my new resource officer job at Hance Elementary allows me to continue to serve, both the children and the staff of the school community. I want to try and continue to be a positive influence,” he said.
Harajda, a 1989 graduate of Penn Hills High School, studied criminology at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his law enforcement training in 1994 at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Police Academy.
He’s never left Pittsburgh.
His first police post was with Braddock from 1995-99 and then for the City of Duquesne.
“I chose a career in law enforcement because it was what I wanted to do since I was a kid. I always wanted to help people. In fact, I’d like to believe that’s the most important reason to become a police officer — to serve the community,” he said. “I had to pen a paper at school about what I wanted to be. I was the first one in my family to become a police officer.”
Harajda recalled a medical emergency more than a decade ago at O’Hara Community Park that he’ll never forget.
The woman collapsed, unconscious, after suffering a medical emergency in the park.
Harajda, who was nearby, was the first responder on the scene. He rendered care with the assistance of an automated external defibrillator and a few good Samaritans.
“She eventually recovered. And whenever I see her family, I’m grateful that I could help,” Harajda said.
Patrolling the 8 square miles of O’Hara usually proved to be rather uneventful, he admitted.
But one call led to Harajda using his nature skills while investigating a report of a break-in at a residence.
“The family thought they’d been broken into, but it was a raccoon that got in and made mischief in the kitchen. I saw its little footprints and figured out it was responsible for the damage.”
Sharpsburg District Judge Matthew Rudzki praised Harajda’s professionalism in court.
“He always balanced discretion and common sense with his duties as a law enforcement officer,” Rudzki said. “He showed compassion for everyone he encountered. Officer Harajda had a reputation for being great with kids and was community-oriented, with a sense of humor. The court staff and I will miss seeing him.”
Harajda previously served as a school resource officer from 2017-18 at O’Hara Elementary, Fox Chapel Area High School and Kerr Elementary and often read to elementary students.
O’Hara recently hired two officers to fill two vacancies, one of which was Harajda’s.
Now that he’s off the township force, Harajda hopes to have more time for running, weightlifting pursuits and boxing, a sport he enjoys.
He competed in amateur boxing for about a decade.
“I enjoy working out myself or helping to train others,” Harajda said.
His message to O’Hara residents is one of gratitude for the relationships he has fostered and developed.
“I hope that those I worked with and encountered considered me someone that they could come to and trust to help,” Harajda said.
