Morgyn Bidelspacher Receives Barnum Memorial Scholarship

The St. Clair Police Foundation selected St. Clair High School senior student Morgyn C. Bidelspacher as the 2024 recipient of the Chief Donald R. Barnum Memorial Scholarship.

Morgyn will be attending St. Clair Community College pursuing an education in law and criminal justice.

The scholarship is named as a living tribute to a life-long resident of St. Clair. Chief Barnum was a graduate of St. Clair High School and served for more than 30-years as a member of the St. Clair Police Department, beginning as a cadet and progressing through the ranks to become Chief of the department. Chief Barnum passed away in December 2020.

Congratulation To Susan Zerkel On Her Appointment To The Board of Directors Of The St. Clair Police Foundation.

Susan E. Zerkel has been elected to the Board of Directors of the St. Clair Police Foundation for a three-year term effective January 1, 2024. 

Susan and her husband Ryan are residents of St. Clair and have three adult children in addition to two grandchildren.  She is a graduate of Ferris State University receiving a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Hospitality Management.  She has ten year’s experience in retail management as well as several years in advertising and marketing.  Her skills will be utilized for the Foundations in the areas of marketing, organizing, event planning, and fundraising. 

Over the years, Susan has been involved in several different community-related programs including Feed the Bay, Anchor Bay Sports Boosters, Friends of Silver Lake, and ALS of Michigan.  She is currently a member of the St. Clair Women’s League and the Friends of the Police.  The Board of Directors welcome Susan to the team and look forward to working with her.

 

 

Congratulations To Joseph D. Macri On His Appointment To The Board Of Directors Of The St. Clair Police Foundation

Joseph D. Macri has been elected to the Board of Directors of the St. Clair Police Foundation with a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024.  Joseph and his wife reside in St. Clair Township.  He is the security advisor for St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Joseph’s education includes a BA in Sociology/Psychology, an MA in Social Science, and a PhD in Criminal Justice Education/Sociology.  He served as a sworn investigator/probation officer for the City of Detroit Recorders Court for 10 years.  Additionally, he held positions in the Youth Division, Narcotics Division, and Special Services.  He has also held the position of Director of Public Safety and Campus Police for 23 years.  He concurrently held the position of Academic Dean, Emergency Service Programs, including Oakland Police Academy, Oakland Fire Academy, and Emergency Medical Service training.

At the University of Detroit Graduate School, Dr. Macri was a tenured assistant professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice Department.  He has also served as an adjunct professor at several area colleges/universities including Macomb Community College, Mercy College of Detroit, Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, DeVry University, and the Macomb and Oakland Police Academies.  He was the instructor at the Police Staff and Command College at Eastern Michigan University.

The Board of Directors of the St. Clair Police Foundation are grateful for Dr. Macri’s interest in Foundation objectives and thankful for the many years of police-related activities that he brings with him.

Congratulations To Chris Kuechenmeister On His Appointment To The Board Of Directors Of The St. Clair Police Foundation

Chris Kuechenmeister has been elected to the Board of Directors of the St. Clair Police Foundation with a three-year term beginning January 1, 2024.  Chris and wife Racqueline (Rackie) reside in St. Clair.  They have two sons ages 15 and 17, both attending St. Clair High School.

Chris has been employed for more than 18 years as a manager of in-plant solutions specialists across the State of Michigan.  Prior to that he was employed in outside sales.  In community involvement, Chris and his wife helped re-build Greig Park spending parts of every day, even during rainstorms.  He has been a member of the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce since 2016.

Chris and Rackie are active members of the Friends of the Police. He has taken the lead in the placement of the Foundation’s information canopy for various events.  Chris is a graduate of the St. Clair Police Department’s first class of the Citizens Police Academy and has been actively involved in the Public Safety Volunteer Program with the Department in ride-along situations and on-the-street activities during community events.

The Board of Directors is enthused and encouraged to have Chris as a participating team member of the St. Clair Police Foundation.

The Foundation Store launched

The "Foundation Store" is a cooperative effort between the St. Clair Police Foundation and Attack Sports of East China Township. The owner, Kelly Aglin, is the supplier of the Friends of the Police volunteer t-shirts.

Purchasers will be notified when their item is ready and can either pick it up at Attack Sports or request it be sent to the St. Clair Police Station at City Hall on Carney Drive. Shipping is not available.

The Store may be found at: https://sc-police-foundation2024.itemorder.com/

Military and Service Memorials Re-landscaped

The St. Clair Police Foundation congratulates the City of St. Clair Recreation Department and its Director Trice Hawkins on the completion of the Military and Service Memorials Re-landscaping Project which improved accessibility and highlights the memorials with edging, and low growing and upright planting.

Shown in the photograph is the Fallen Heroes Memorial dedicated in 2015 in memory of former police Chief John MacDonald and in honor of law enforcement personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Foundation is pleased to be one of the supporting organizations for this project.

Friends of St. Clair Police Participate in Community Events

Members of the Friends of the St. Clair Police community relations committee participate in numerous events during the year.

The purpose in being present at events and programs is to provide information about the St. Clair Police Foundation, special efforts working with the St. Clair Police Department, and to foster a stronger relationship between the community and the police.

Information about becoming a member of the Friends of the St. Clair Police may be found at this website in the section "Be a Friend."

Veteran Police Officer Promoted

At the July 17th meeting of the St. Clair City Council, Police Chief Tim Raker announced the promotion of Don Ennis from Detective/Corporal to the rank of Sargeant.

Sergeant Ennis has been with the Department for 15 years and previously served as an officer with the Memphis, Michigan, police department. He is a graduate of Ferris State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He is married and has two sons.

Sergeant Ennis has served as Field Training Officer the past 15 years providing training to new police officers as they graduated from police academy. His other stated career-related passion is to provide training to others within the community. Due to a recent spike in fraud and scams, he has hosted training for community members and businesses on what to look for and how to minimize the chances of becoming a victim of a scam or fraud. Sergeant Ennis served as one of the lead instructors in the recently completed Citizens' Police Academy and as a member of the St. Clair Police Foundation's scholarship selection committee.

Please join with the St. Clair Police Foundation and others in congratulating Sergeant Ennis on this well-deserved promotion.