In The News

An investigation is underway into the fatal shooting of Officer Devante Jones, 23. The officer was gunned down in an east Detroit neighborhood in the early morning hours of September 20, 2021. Jones graduated from Jailers Training in 2019 and was assigned to Division 1. He leaves behind one child and a newborn due next month.

“We offer our condolences and prayers to the family who have lost their loved one in the most tragic way,” said Sheriff Raphael Washington. “This resonates with all of us on the job. We’re going to do all we can find out what happened.”

ALPENA — A team of downstate divers took advantage of Alpena’s shipwreck-rich waters last week to practice saving lives.

A search and recovery dive team from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office chose Alpena as the site of its annual deepwater training. The team explored shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and conducted drills near Rockport State Recreation Area, making use of the Sunrise Side’s deep water and underwater resources to hone its skills.

More than 500 men and women of the WCSO were recently treated during all three shifts to tasty lunches and accolades to show an abundance of appreciation for the essential personnel. The delicious lunches, provided by Sysco and the Wayne County Jail Outreach Ministry (WCJOM), were packed with delectable goodies and the guests of honor—officers, clerical staff and executives—could not have been more appreciative!

In 2016, the MACP Board of Directors established the Thomas A. Hendrickson Legislative Advocate-of-the-Year Award. This is awarded to an individual that works exceptionally hard on behalf of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police in the legislative process and whose efforts are substantially above and beyond those which would be expected by a typical MACP member.

In February of 2021, the MACP Board of Directors unanimously voted to name Daniel Pfannes the 2020 Thomas A. Hendrickson Legislative Advocate of the Year.

Honoring all men and women of all branches of the military who dedicated their lives in service to their country. We honor you for your tremendous sacrifice and that of your families as you endeavored to ensure our freedom here in the U.S. and abroad. We pay homage to those who died in the line of duty giving their all to this country. This Memorial Day, and forever, we salute you–our heroes in uniform!

TROY, Michigan — Jim Santilli, CEO of the Transportation Improvement Association (TIA), and two victims are encouraging the Michigan Legislature to make distracted driving a top priority and take action on Senate Bill 409. SB 409, which was introduced today by State Senator Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), would make Michigan a hands-free state. There are currently 26 hands-free states in the nation.

Detroit, Michigan (April 9, 2021) – The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office begins vaccinating inmates today as part of an ongoing effort to avoid community spread of Covid-19 in WC jails. All inmates were offered an opportunity to be vaccinated and those who agreed are receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (which requires only one dose). Today, health workers vaccinate inmates at Division 3 with a plan to vaccinate inmates at Jails 1 and 2 in the next few weeks.

Wayne County (March 12, 2021) – Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington is looking for 200men and women to fill corrections officer vacancies at the three jails. The vacancies—resulting from retirements or other turnover—critically affect staffing levels in the facilities. In an effort to get folks hired fast, the Sheriff is spreading the word that we need those seeking employment to contact the agency so that their application may head to the top of the list

“While the staffing shortage we’re facing is not new, the need to hire qualified individuals couldn’t be more urgent,” says Sheriff Washington. “These career-focused jobs are available now with plenty of opportunities for overtime in this time of economic downturn.”

The WCSO is taking on COVID where it lurks, in the air! Fighting COVID in all facilities has been a mission of executive leadership since the pandemic began and Sheriff Raphael Washington has promised keeping personnel, the public and the inmate population safe is among his top priorities. At a recent press conference, the Sheriff and executive leadership announced the acquisition of nearly 24 state of the art machines that target and eliminate COVID and other pathogens in the air in our 3 jails, Road Patrol and Admin building. Our agency is THE FIRST correctional agency in the nation to implement this technology. Adding this ground-breaking technology is just another weapon in our fight against this deadly pandemic.