Panel conducts second day of interviews for police chief

By DEB WUETHRICH

A panel of representatives assisting Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch with the hiring of a new police chief met again on Thursday to conduct interviews with three remaining candidates. The panel members included: Mayor Harvey Schmidt, Adrian Police Chief Terry Collins, Tecumseh Fire Chief Joe Tuckey, Interim Police Chief Scott Smith, and Evans Street Station co-owner Beth Kennedy.

Robert Sinclair, who is a Michigan State Police Detective Sgt., started his law enforcement career with the Deerfield Police Department in 1980, worked with the Tecumseh Police Department from 1981-1985, and has been with the Michigan State Police for 25 years.

“One of the reasons I’m interested in Tecumseh is that this city has given me so much over the years, I’d like to give something back,” he said.

He lists among his major accomplishments his time of working and coordinating the efforts of more than 19 different agencies at the Michigan International Speedway during race weekends. Other tracks across the country have been interested in the traffic pattern his team devised for after the race.

Like Wednesday’s candidates, Lt. Todd Mutchler and Ex. Lt. Carl Fuhs, Sgt. Sinclair believes that a police chief needs to be visible and accessible to citizens in the community.

“It used to be easier when we had programs like DARE in the schools, but the police chief needs to be involved in the community,” he said. “I see police work as not just law enforcement, but also public relations, being involved with the city in different aspects.

Donald Porrett is currently the police chief in Port Huron, and said he started there as a police cadet, and worked his way up. After attending Macomb Police Academy to become certified as a patrol officer he was hired to work road patrol. In 1993 he made a move to administrative services in charge of evidence/property management, police training and other roles. He became a lieutenant in 2000 and was assigned to road patrol, and later became a captain, and took the post as chief in 2008.

With 33 years in the same police department, he said he still loves law enforcement and he and his wife visited Tecumseh where he is interested in continuing his career.
“We found it to be a clean community, people seemed to care, the downtown is vibrant and we were impressed,” he said.

Chief Porrett said qualities he could bring to the position included an ability to remain calm in a stressful situation, and his vision of approaching situations proactively. He believes his experience of collaboration with such agencies as the Border Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies could also translate to mutual working arrangements with other local agencies in this area. He also believes being responsive to the public is a big priority, and he would carry over his present department’s policy of listening to citizens before making any judgments.

Sgt. Troy Stern, who currently serves with the Tecumseh Police Department, was the final candidate to be interviewed. He said he was born and raised in Tecumseh, graduated from Clinton High School, and first worked part-time for the Somerset Police Dept. He’s been with the Tecumseh Police Department 16 years in October. In 2001 he was promoted to shift supervisor and his primary coverage has been afternoon and night shifts.

“In my initial interview with the city, I said at some point I wanted to take Mr. VanAlstine’s position and become chief,” said Sgt. Stern. “That was my goal.”

He said qualities he could bring, along with familiarity with the police department and the city, would be organizational skills. In addition, he said he would like to revive the Citizens Police Academy as an outreach to the community.
The panel hopes to have a decision within the next two weeks.