Sheriff Connect

SHERIFF NAPOLEON ENCOURAGES YOU TO VOTE NO ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

      My name is Benny N. Napoleon.  I am your elected Sheriff.  I have over four decades of experience in law enforcement, and I have been a firsthand witness to the destruction illegal drugs have caused in our community.   It is due to my experience, that I am writing this open letter to every resident of Wayne County.  It is my goal to encourage you to vote against the legalization of marijuana, this Election Day, by voting NO on Proposal 18-1. While the 100-word ballot proposal sounds relatively straightforward, the complete 16-page proposal contains many provisions that will undoubtedly prove harmful to our children, public safety, and our community.

      Under Proposal 18-1, anyone over 21 years of age will be able to possess 10-ounces of marijuana.  This equals 300-600 joints - which is 1,000% higher than nearly every other state that has legalized marijuana allows. In addition, a person can grow up to 12 plants. This growing can and will take place in your neighborhood. All this excess marijuana will cause an explosion in the black market, which contrary to public statements, has expanded in every other state that has legalized marijuana. Colorado and Washington have already documented foreign cartels moving in to traffic marijuana.

      Another serious problem will be the increased number of stoned drivers on our roads. There is no simple test to prove someone is driving under the influence of marijuana.  It requires an officer who has received specialized Drug Recognition Expert training and there are only about 75 such trained officers in all of Michigan.  It will be nearly impossible to prove that someone is legally stoned and shouldn’t be driving.  Unlike driving under the influence of alcohol, which has a set limit, marijuana metabolizes differently in each person. In Colorado, marijuana traffic related deaths have more than doubled since legalization. Every state that has legalized marijuana is experiencing increased marijuana related traffic crashes and deaths.

      However, the most serious negative consequence will be the impact legalized marijuana will have upon our children. Today’s marijuana is not the “Woodstock Weed” many of us grew up around. Much of the marijuana today has a THC content ( the ingredient that gets you high) that is 10 - 45 times greater than the marijuana of the 1960’s. Countless studies have confirmed that smoking marijuana can cause permanent brain damage when consumed by those under 25 years of age. States that have legalized recreational marijuana have seen an increase in youth marijuana use and Colorado is now ranked #1 in the nation for “past month marijuana use” (up from #4 in 2011/2012 and #14 in 2005/2006).

      Legalized marijuana is opposed by numerous community, school, health, and faith-based organizations including:  NAACP of Detroit, Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority, Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals, Michigan Catholic Conference, Families Against Narcotics, the Michigan Sheriffs Association, and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. I encourage everyone to visit http://healthyandproductivemi.org, where you can find much more information regarding the negative consequences that can be expected if this proposal passes.

Please do the research and then vote NO on Proposal 18-1.

Sincerely,

Benny N. Napoleon, J.D., Sheriff

Congrats to our Special Operations Unit of the Wayne County Sheriffs Office on the meritorious Service and Valor award for their outstanding work and commitment to enforcing illegal narcotic activity throughout Wayne County. Thank you to Safe Substance Abuse and coalition for being a leader in taking on such a noble cause.

Another one bites the dust! Our Police Operations Division did a great job on this investigation. We were successful in taking down a drug house and the known drug dealer! The Wayne County Sheriff's Ofiice is not going to tolerate this in Wayne county.

On September 27, Sheriff Napoleon was joined by executive staff and command in the promotion of 8 year veteran, Autris Shelby from deputy to sergeant. Sgt. Shelby is a graduate of Ferris State University, holding both an undergraduate and graduate degree in criminal justice administration. Prior to join the sheriff's office, Sgt. Shelby worked as a foster care worker for "Family Independence Agency." Here, he assured services to families whose children have been removed from their homes due to child abuse and/or neglect. Sgt. Shelby also worked as a fraud investigator in Oakland County, MI. Sgt. Autris Shelby was joined by family including his wife, Joshelle Shelby, and their son, Joshua, 10.

Sheriff Napoleon also promoted Sheila Maxell-Stallings from the tether unit to back-ground investigation; Deputy Craig W. Schwartz was brought in as deputy sheriff, where for over 39 years of law enforcement experience, most recently he served as Assistant Chief of Police for the Detroit Public Schools Police Department.  He has previously served in the Detroit Police Department, where he served in all ranks from Police Officer through Deputy Chief and commanded the Criminal Investigations Bureau, Homeland Security Bureau, Major Crimes Division, Homicide Section and the Headquarters Surveillance Unit.  Deputy Schwartz retired from the Detroit Police Department in 2007 and subsequently established the Huron Potawatomi Police Department, the first police agency for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi in Ahtens, Michigan, providing police services to the Tribe, as well as the Village of Athens.  In addition, he has served with the Plymouth and the Grosse Pointe Park Police Departments.  Deputy Schwartz is a 2004 graduate of the FBI National Academy and came to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in August 2018.  Kevin Bennett, who began his career in law enforcement in 1991 and by 1993 became a deputy for the Wayne County Sheriff  Department, was hired in as a part-time court officer. Bennett has an associates, and both a bachelors and masters in criminal justice.

We here at the WCSO are proud of all our new promotes, and hires, and look forward to servicing Wayne County.

For more information on how you can join the WCSO please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks to Sheriff Benny Napoleon, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team engaged in extensive training in the Straights of Mackinaw.  The three days of training involved diver participation in scenarios focused on deep diving, wreck diving, boat diving, underwater scene documentation, and the deployment of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) in underwater operations.

            The training exercises were specifically designed to concentrate on team building, cooperation and coordination amongst the divers as well as to reinforce specific operational necessities associated with pre-dive safety checks, proper diving etiquette, storage of dive gear, personal conduct, entry and exit procedures, dive signals, communications, use of lights, redundant air supplies, and diver emergency management.  The three days of training involved diver participation in scenarios focused on deep diving, wreck diving, boat diving, underwater scene documentation, and the deployment of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) in underwater operations.The diver emergency management component involved training in diver injury recognition and emergency oxygen provision.

            The team conducted dives on three different shipwrecks, all of which allowed for the divers to conduct hull penetrations.  The ships included the:

1. Cedarville:   a 600 ft. steel freighter that sank in 1965. It’s the third largest shipwrecked freighter on the Great Lakes.
2. Sandusky:   a 141 ft. wooden schooner that sank in 1871
3. Barnum :     a 200 ft. wooden steamer that sank in 1894

All of the goals and objectives established for the training were met.  In addition, each of the participating divers achieved Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) Neurological Assessment and DANEmergency Oxygen Provider certification.

Dive Team Members:

Lt. Matthew Gloster, Sgt. Mike Wasil, Sgt. Mike Roehrig, Cpl. John Brownfiel, Cpl. Adam Trimble, Cpl. Mike Babe, Cpl. Paul Seals, Cpl. Sean White, Cpl. Tim Chumara, and Cpl. Mark Schmidt

Arrangements for Sgt. Lee Smith:

PUBLIC VISITATION
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
at Swanson Funeral Home
14751 W. McNichols Road
Detroit, MI 48235
313-272-9000