Boiling Springs PD hosts German police officer
- Chuck Thompson
- Jul 17
- 5 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
Boiling Springs, N.C. – Schützen und dienen. Protect and serve. You can say it in any language, and the motto remains the same. That was something Hendrik Hagenkord, a German police officer, discovered when he visited Boiling Springs, North Carolina, recently.
Hagenkord is from the city of Wuppertal, Germany. Located north-east of Cologne, not far from the Netherlands, he was able to come here on an internship program through the International Police Association (IPA) via the International Learning Development Exchange Program.
And of all the places, he found his way to Boiling Springs, staying with several BSPD officers, including Chief Brian DiYorio, who, along with other Boiling Springs police officers, showed him the sights, from Asheville to Spartanburg, Boone, Charlotte and Cleveland County.
Hagenkord said the idea is to show how policing works in other countries and to experience the culture of a foreign country.
So, how did he end up in Boiling Springs, Cleveland County, N.C.? Well, it matched Hagenkord’s interests, according to his application.
He arrived on June 26, right before America’s 250th extended birthday bash.
He said getting to experience the 4th of July was an amazing experience; one he didn’t realize what he was getting into. “I realized soon as I was here!” Hagenkord laughed, noting he was able to experience the fireworks and all of the enthusiasm and fanfare.
“He also went to his first baseball game and toured the Biltmore house, too,” said DiYorio.
“The ride-alongs with Asheville P.D., Henderson County Sheriff’s Department and the Boiling Springs Police Department were very interesting.” Hagenkord explained how these ride-alongs gave him the opportunity to compare procedure and tactics from how they do things here compared to Germany. “Simple things like a traffic stop are different than what we would do in Germany,” he said, not wanting to get into specifics of German policing for security reasons.
But more than anything, Hagenkord has enjoyed the food, the Southern cooking and restaurant chain food, but Hagenkord said he liked the local-owned restaurants the best.
He also likes the local accent as much as the Southern food.
Communication has been fairly easy for Hagenkord, who speaks English fairly well. He said he hasn’t had any serious issues understanding the Southern drawl, noting, “It was better than visiting Ireland!” he laughed. “But there’s still some times when I have had a hard time, but not too bad, overall, at all.”
“One thing that surprised me was how nice everyone has been,” he added, as he wasn’t sure what to expect. “Random people with 15 to 20 minute talks with all the officers; everyone has been very nice.”
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“This is just such a cool opportunity,” added DiYorio, “to showcase the U.S. to him; to show him what it’s really like here, compared to what he has seen on T.V. and in the news to clear up any clichés or stereotypes of how we’re portrayed in Europe.”
However, due to the perception in the news and movies about America, Hagenkord said his family and friends were worried about his safety before he left Germany.
“When I told my family I was coming to America to do this, they said ‘are you sure?!’” he laughed. “But it’s been so great. I have really enjoyed it.”
He wasn’t accustomed to the widespread gun ownership, because in Germany most people do not own a rifle or sidearm, but he said nobody “popped a shot” at him during his ride-alongs.
“My surprise was all these pro-gun laws and gun ownership,” he noted.
Hagenkord, who is the equivalent of a detective, explained that his training in Germany was only with two weapons and those were the only ones he had ever practiced with his entire life.
“He had never shot a shotgun, so he really enjoyed that,” DiYorio said.
“In Germany, many people can go their whole life and never see a gun,” added Hagenkord, amazed at how safe the environment has been. "It's been a great experience."
He attended a baseball game in Asheville when they played Spartanburg, and he still hasn’t been to Cook Out, at the time of this interview. “It’s on the list,” said DiYorio. “We’re going to take him to Waffle House and also make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which he’s never had.”
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are about as rare as a firearm in Germany, according to Hagenkord.
He also visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
When asked if he preferred NASCAR or Formula 1? He said he has new love for NASCAR.
As for the exchange program for police officers going to Europe, Hagenkord and DiYorio said absolutely.
“The program is interchangeable. Every police officer could come to Germany and do the same thing I am doing now. It amazed me how many officers do not know about the IPA,” noted Hagenkord.
Chief DiYorio added his support for the program and encouraged other officers to participate.
“I think it was a great opportunity for him to do this through the IPA” added DiYorio. “I would be interested to see if a few years from now if any officers from here go overseas for the same idea of an experience as Hagenkord has done so, here.
“I am thankful to the town of Boiling Springs for hosting me and Chief DiYorio and his team, and to Cleveland County and the other agencies in the area," said Hagenkord.
“I’ve been super excited about having him here to showcase all of Cleveland County," DiYorio said. “At the end of the day it makes our department better by learning and comparing his procedures in Germany. The opportunity from the IPA is excellent. Every officer should do it, in my opinion.”
“I’m just excited to have this opportunity to come over here and to experience very exotic things to me – which the USA is an exotic land to me - and I think have learned a few things that I can take home and put to use and made memories here and I’m thankful for this experience.”
Hagenkord returned to Germany a few days ago. Whether or not he took a peanut butter and jelly sandwich back home with him couldn’t be confirmed or denied at this time.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
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