Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young is retiring in October after 37 years of service in Kent County.
After serving in the Michigan Army National Guard, she joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1989 and spent three decades working in nearly every major division and command position in the department.
She broke barriers across the department’s executive command, serving as the first female lieutenant, captain and chief deputy, then made history as the first female Sheriff after being appointed to fill the vacancy created when Larry Stelma retired in 2018.
She then ran for and won two subsequent elections.
She says that during her time in office, she’s most proud of developing future leaders, innovating technology that helps law officers do their jobs and improving services in the correctional facility such as substance abuse treatment, job readiness psychological services and case management.
“I'm really proud of how that's developed, so we best prepare individuals when they return to the community so that they don't have additional issues, reoffend and come back because every time somebody reoffends, they create another victim in our community. And preventing that is important for everybody.”
Undersheriff Bryan Muir intends to seek appointment as Sheriff with LaJoye-Young’s departure.
Her official retirement date is October 9.
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