WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — West Bloomfield Police Department Chief Michael Patton has been with the department for nearly four decades and has seen the many changes that have happened since then.
“I really thought I was blessed when I was hired here back in 1985. You know, you had different options back then. I could have gone to other cities. I was very competitive. I think I beat out 400 people back in ’85 to get the job here,” Patton said.
He’s seen West Bloomfield grow and develop from a rural community to a thriving township.
“But we’re probably about as big as we’re going to get. And so, it’s a very stable community. It’s a very well-run community,” Patton said. “The folks here at town hall, the elected officials really do a good job managing all the affairs. It’s a financially sound community.”
West Bloomfield police have been known for their presence on social media among other things.
“We leverage all of that to try and communicate with the public and again, there’s different generations of how people get their information, how they’re willing to get information. We try to take advantage of all those opportunities,” the chief said. “There’s only so much you can do on social media. There’s other times when you got to show up and be seen. Again, there’s the people who see you on every traffic stop, at every community event, things like that.”
Patton said larceny is one of the crimes his department deals with most often.
“I mean, people need to maybe increase their awareness, keep their cars locked. You know, don’t leave your keys in the car. Car thefts are up a little bit. I think you see that around the whole Detroit metro area,” he said. “We get stolen cars throughout the year but not as many as we have had lately.
Identity theft is another big issue, Patton said.
“With so many more people doing things online, they’re always at risk,” he said.
Patton says the training and resources the department has distinguishes their officers from others.
“Well, they go to a lot of training. Look, we’re fortunate to have a lot of resources here that a lot of other agencies don’t. I can remember interviewing a number of officers over the years that came from other agencies that face particularly difficult challenges in their communities that don’t have the funding or resources that we do. But we do. And we send them out to a lot of training,” Patton said.
“I’m always careful what I say to elected officials here sometimes because they’re always asking for more officers because with more officers you can do more things. But I’d actually be okay with fewer officers as long as they’re well-trained officers,” he continued.
The department is hiring. Patton says he estimates there are about five slots to be filled, but they’re lucky because they can be picky about who joins their team.
“I tell new applicants when they apply here, you got to have a passion for this kind of work. This is the kind of work that you really, really — one more time — really got to want to do,” he said. “And if you don’t, you’re probably not going to enjoy it that much. You probably won’t put forth your best effort and we need you to do that every day.”
An event happening Friday at West Bloomfield High School called Family Fun Night is bringing together the police and fire departments and local schools to celebrate the community and public services.
