A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Neko Zairis

There’s an old cliché that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. For Neko Zairis, that sentiment isn’t just a saying — it’s something he has lived for nearly three decades.

He served as a Lake County police officer for 22 years and now works part time with the Ogden Dunes Police Department, but retirement hasn’t slowed him down.

“It’s just the drive to not want to be done,” he said. “You’re putting your life on the line the same way. Nothing’s changed as far as responsibilities. When leadership understands the needs of the community, there is no difference.”

For Zairis, the desire to help people began long before he put on a badge. Before joining the force, he worked in a steel mill and taught CPR classes. This was where he first discovered how much he enjoyed instructing others. One of his students, a police chief in Porter County, recognized his ability to lead and encouraged him to attend the reserve academy.

“He sent me to the reserve academy, and here we are, almost 30 years later,” he said. “That’s what sparked the flame, and I’ve never looked back.”

Before that, police work hadn’t been part of his plan. He joked that the closest he had come was childhood games of cops and robbers.

“It needs to be in your heart. When you love what you do, it doesn’t matter what it is — you don’t work. It’s your career, it’s your love, it’s your passion. For me, it’s always been helping people; I’ve always enjoyed it. I love teaching,” he said. “Ultimately, I think that my next step is to go more into instructing and teaching because it’s time for the younger generation to come in and take over, time for older people to mentor and teach and learn from each other.”

Over the years, Zairis became a certified active shooter instructor, CPR instructor, riot control instructor and defensive tactics instructor — roles that allowed him to train and mentor other officers.

“As a defensive tactics instructor, I went through a program where officers learn the right moves to stay safe on the street, then bring that knowledge back to train others. It’s the physical side of law enforcement — teaching the moves we need to protect ourselves and do our jobs effectively,” he said.

After completing a Train the Trainer program in active shooter response, Zairis helped create a collaborative effort among several departments to train local officers using volunteer role players.

“Seeing the excitement and learning what happened in those scenarios was priceless — it helped bridge gaps between the community and police. I was learning from more experienced officers, and now it’s my turn to teach,” he said.

As that work grew, so did his focus.

“We’re doing all this teaching and instructing, but wondered ‘who’s teaching the public?’That’s when I created my active threat assessment for civilians. That’s where my business started,” Zairis said.

In March 2024, he launched Neko’s Security and Critical Behavior Consulting, an LLC dedicated to helping civilians better their chances in active threat situations. He offers two-hour presentations and scenario-based training for schools, churches and community groups, partnering with nutritionists, yoga instructors, CPR trainers and firearms instructors.

“One of the new programs I’m creating now is called Women’s Empowerment through Situational Awareness,” he said. “It’s about giving back, helping people, and always being a part of the community. It’s that excitement — wearing your emotions on your sleeve and just wanting to help. If you’re not the best version of yourself, you can’t help anyone else. That’s why we put this information out there — so if God forbid a situation happens, you’re at the top of your game.”

That mindset carries into his approach to fitness. After retiring, Zairis created GreekFit Bootcamp, a low-impact endurance program designed to bring people together while building strength. He later brought the program to Ogden Dunes, where residents now gather throughout the month to train together.

“It’s low-impact, and it’s especially fun when you do it with other people who are like-minded and excited to be there. That energy makes all the difference,” he said. “The board of Ogden Dunes fell in love with the program. The residents there love it. We have some people who have been with us since day one.”

For Zairis, staying active is part of staying ready.

“I love being active. If you ask anybody in my family, I’m the one doing the most moving and grooving,” he said. “Being able to work in law enforcement and donate my time to the bootcamp — I just love helping people and instructing.”

The same lessons he shares with officers and community members are the ones he teaches at home.

“What I’ve taught my kids is basically, ‘I’m not going to be here forever, so here are some rules. Go ahead and make some mistakes, learn from them, pick yourself up and then try again. Just don’t make the same mistake twice,’” Zairis said. “It’s all about giving them the tools to the best of your ability. Learn from your mistakes and be a better version of yourself. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else — just be a better version of you.”

Helping people prepare, grow and become better versions of themselves is the thread that runs through his career, his business and his home life.

“If there’s a chance to help people — whether it’s with GreekFit Bootcamp or any of the training classes that I offer — I just want to try to make a difference,” he said.

For Zairis, the uniform may come off at the end of the day, but the work of mentoring others continues.