A big city boy has turned into a small town cop and he’s loving every minute of it.
Todd Stanfield is the newest full-time officer in the Lake Orion Police Department. He’s been on the job since the end of September.
Stanfield grew up on the east side of Detroit. His parents moved out to Lake Orion’s Bunny Run area when he was 18. Because he only had a month to go before he graduated from Roseville High School, Stanfield’s parents let him drive each day back to the school.
As to why his mom and dad moved, Stanfield said “they wanted something better for myself and my sister.”
While he was in high school, he worked in a co-op program that trained him to become a machinist.
After graduation, Stanfield worked for several different companies over the years, gained additional skills in repair work and became a pipefitter.
Once firmly established in that position, Stanfield began moving up in a company. “I went from a worker, to a leader to a supervisor for close to eight years. I had two to 15 employees working for me at different times.”
The company built automated, robotic assembly lines. “We built the ones at the Orion Plant,” Stanfield said.
He was hired away from that company by a competitor for a supervisor’s job. The pay was excellent, but Stanfield spent much of his time traveling.
Stanfield’s road to the village’s police department started in 1993. He took a reserve police class from the then police chief — Jim Leach — and found it very interesting. By the time the class ended, he ranked first in test scores.
He became a reserve office in June 1995. “I worked a lot of hours (a year), 300 plus,” Stanfield said. In 1997, he was promoted to reserve sergeant and with that came more responsibility.
“I was put in charge of a squad and in charge of the Youth Bureau Program,” he added. “It’s still going on. It’s a good program to help youth in the village.”
Stanfield has also worked with in the Cops Program at the Orion/Oxford Boys and Girls Club at the Ehmen Center on Friday nights.
Whatever he was asked to do as a reserve officer, Stanfield did. “I worked 12 days, on special details. I never called in and said I couldn’t work. They could always count on me,” he said.
Although Stanfield was making quite a bit money at his regular job, the long hours spent away from home was becoming more and more difficult. He got married to Desiree and became the father of Rylee two years ago.
“I had to get out of that other business,” he added.
Stanfield, sponsored by the LO Police Department, went through the Police Academy in 2000 and began working part-time for Lake Orion.
When a full-time job opened up in the village late this summer, he applied for and was picked for the position.
“I’m still not working 40 hours. I’m working extra hours because Rob (Barker) has been out with a broken foot.
“I like doing this. So far it’s been all good. I never really applied anywhere else. I like helping people in the community. Jerry Narsh (police chief) is a great guy,” Stanfield said.
“What makes this job so good is the people I work with. It’s almost like working with your relatives.”
And what does he do in his spare time now that he has some? “I have my honey-do list. I manage my time pretty well. If I can write it down, I can do it.
“I have to finish the landscaping and, of course, play with my daughter,” he added.
When he needs to get away, Stanfield can hop on his Harley Davidson and go for a ride.