To ensure that the best interests of each stakeholder and the communities we serve are met, each group identified staff members to represent them in the process by forming individual Transition Teams. In 2019, I was selected to become the Transition Team Coordinator for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. It has been my responsibility to manage the day-to-day CJC project interests of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office while working very closely with my teammate and partner Sgt. Art Elandt, with direct oversight of Chief Robert Dunlap and Sheriff Raphael Washington.

I must say that none of this amazing progress could have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of both previous Transition Team Members and our brand-new Team Members who are too many to name. Nothing this significant can be done without contributions from a great team acting as one.

On March 18, 2024, the facility was officially turned over from the construction company to Wayne County. The Sheriff’s Office is providing site security to the facility both now during the transition and moving forward into full operation. Building turnover signaled the 6-month timeline in which the Sheriff’s Office and our criminal justice partners must vacate their current facilities and move into the CJC. There is an Activation Schedule which outlines when each stakeholder, and major operational service will begin. A move such as this requires the concerted effort of each stakeholder group to prepare their respective areas. Collaboration at the highest level was essential to ensure operational continuity, efficiency, and improved services for the community.

One of the most challenging experiences has been managing expectations, including my personal expectations and the expectations of others. I have come to realize that there is no such thing as perfection in a project of this size and nature, mostly because we all have different ideas of what that looks like. I believe that everyone involved in this project has had the very best intentions and I’m excited, with a tremendous amount of teamwork, collaboration, and utilization of finite resources we are now just a couple of months away from achieving full occupancy of a facility that will serve this great county for years to come. I wholeheartedly believe that the outcome of the CJC is infinitely more hospitable, welcoming, and functional than any of the antiquated infrastructure that we have become accustomed to.

The major differences between the CJC and our legacy buildings will be the quality of service that each stakeholder will be able to provide, the environmental improvements that will be enjoyed by anyone interacting in the facility, and the convenience of having so many related services in one footprint.

I am an open book, those that know me best within the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office know that I am into fitness, officer safety, overall health and wellness, participating in educational trainings, teaching/coaching new officers, and of course, horses.

What excites me the most about my career is the unrivaled opportunity for growth, development, and change. I have been able to flourish in exciting and diverse roles ranging from Police Dispatch and LEIN Operation, Traffic Patrol and Enforcement, Police Mounted Unit Patrol and Instruction, Internal Affairs Investigations, Jail and Court Command positions, Inmate Classification Command, Law Enforcement Use of Force Instruction, and currently as the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Transition Team Coordinator. Each role has added to my knowledge, experience, and expertise in the field of law enforcement and leadership.

The overarching theme within my career has been the profound latitude to push beyond the limits of the things I believed myself capable of. Each specialty unit that I have been a part of required a unique skillset to be mastered and each one taught me how, with proper mentorship, determination, and grit, that my potential is limitless.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office has allowed me to expand my horizons both personally and professionally. Today, I am most excited about the ways in which I can assist other officers in finding and realizing their personal limitless potential.