Sumpter to lose top two cops

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• Retirements to leave township with
void in experience, but chief to stay on
until replacement is found.

By MARJOR1E KAUTH-KARJAL/^

NEWS SPECIAL WRITER

sing its two

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a Chief Clinton Brown and It. Wanda

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the department, although testing for those

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SUMPTER TOWNSHIP - The Sumpter Town-
ship Police Department will lose a lot of valuable
exper -hen its top two command officers re-
tire iti ;lLl:.

Police Chic') •\ Brown and Lt. Wanda Elden
have a cow^ ••'•^r0 <<<- service in the depart-
ment Bet e more years on the
police force man tne iz remaining officers put to-
gether.

With a search still being conducted for their re-
placements, Brown and Elden's departures also
could leave a leadership gap. The remaining mem"
bers of the department are patrol officers, with no
sergeants or corporals.

stay on in a different capacity to help with the tran- ~
sition too, Teall said.

The township received 23 applications for police
chief and about five for the lieutenant position by
the deadline Monday, Teall said. The applications
came from all over, including one from Orlando,
Fla., Teali said.

See SUMPTER, C2

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But T"^ ' r- rk Helen Teall expects the
tram inly because the 63-year-old
Brown has agreed to stay on until a new police
chief is hired and trained.

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help train his replacement. Elden plans to
Michigan to be closer to her mother.

Elden's retirement date is June 1, but she may

Continued from C1

SUMPTER: Retirees look back on progress

Teall, who is serving on a com-
mittee to select the new officers,
said the committee will meet soon
to decide who to interview. Also on
the committee are Brow T" "e-
ville Police Chief Hal n,
Lower Huron e
Chief Victor Hes- „ ;s-
"ider in Light.

Otii; i^J reason there are not
higher-ranking officers in the de-
partment is that an officer must
have five years of experience before
testing for a promotion to corporal,
Brown said.

Until five or six years ago, the de-
partment was understaffed and had
a high turnover rate, often serving
as a training ground for other police
departments, he said.

When revenue from the Carleton
Farms landfill started coming into
the township, the police force was

beefed up by adding about four new
officers. Since then, most of the new
employees have stayed with the
force, Brown said.

Other than Brown and Elden, the
officer with the next most seniority
is officer Robert McCk o has
seven years. There ai ^ offi-
cers with five years on the force and
the remaining eight have three
years or less. Tests for promotions
to sergeant and corporal are being
conducted, Brown said.

For both Brown and Elden, leav-
ing the department means leaving a
history of accomplishments and
memories.

Brown said his work with the
community began before he started
on the force, when he ) help
manage thp ^"mpter iwni;. Rink.
Later on sped on numerous
committees. He plans to stay active

in the community.

"I've spent 32 years here. I'm not
just going to walk away," Brown
said.

For Elden, her professionalism
has brought a growing respect for
Sumpter Township at the county
level, she said. She also has helped
coordinate youth programs, which
if continued, will have long-range
benefits, Elden said.

Brown plans to remain in Sump-
ter, although he intends to travel
more. He's planning a trip to Aus-
tralia and New Zealand in October
1998.

The 57-year-old Elden hopes to
relocate, to be closer to her mother
and other family members. She also
hopes to do some traveling.

"I'm looking forward to relocating
in northern Michigan, where it's
hilly and beautiful," she said.