Hats off to Public Safety

Currently under the direction of Sgt. Tim McIsaac, the Brandon Sub-Station of Oakland County Sheriff Department has 13 officers patroling the township. The officers include two detective investigators, a school liaison, a patrol investigator, and a public service aide.
“As a contracted service for the community, our goal is to provide the best quality we can with the existing patrol we have,” said Sgt. McIsaac.
At one time Ortonville had its own police department, with all part-time officers, housed in what is currently the township offices.
In 1970 Thomas Henry Quisenberry, who raised four generations of law enforcement officers, was named the first and only Police Chief of the Village of Ortonville.
In 1976 township residents voted in a millage to form a township wide police department, contracting with the Oakland County Sheriff Department.
Village officers were deputized and absorbed into the department.
Twenty years after being established within the community, Oakland County Sheriff Department moved the sub-station to its current location on the corner of Mill and South streets.

Atlas Township became a precinct of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department in 1995, after the recommendation of former Michigan State Police Trooper Jim Gage, now the Genesee County Undersheriff.
With friendly rivalty between the state policy and county sheriff departments, the recommendation was unusual, admits Gage, adding “they do like our deputies very, very much down there.”
Back in 1981, the M-15 corridor was policed by officers assigned by Lapeer County, said Gage, a local resident.
As Flint, Pontiac, and Genesee County cars were hesitant to veer off into “no-man’s land”, local officials formed a police consortium board consisting of representatives from the Village of Goodrich and Atlas Township, eventually forming the area’s own police department.

Groveland Township officially became a post of the Michigan State Police Department in early 1997 after the Pontiac post closed.
“The (Groveland) area is really growing up, adding lots of homes; there’s more traffic,” said Trooper Nathan Ellis.
A detachment of state troopers had originally been assigned to the facility in 1994, when troopers would use the lower level of the fire department as a locker room. The upstairs was later renovated to house the police post, said Detective Sgt. Gary Muir.
The Michigan State Police is committed by law to providing service to areas lacking designated funding for police protection, Muir said.
Lt. Doug Lubahn currently serves as post commander.