John Wilson
Candidate for Sheriff, 2008

     My roots go deep into the soil of Clare County. It was in the mid-1930’s that my grandfather, Dr. Earl C. Wilson, moved his young family to Harrison and for many years he provided the citizens of the area with health care. Almost eighty years later, I live in my grandparents’ house in the city of Harrison with my family: Karen, my wife, and our sons, Ross and Evan. My parents live about 4 blocks away.

     I attended Harrison Community Schools K-12, graduating in 1984; Karen graduated in 1990; our sons attend Harrison Schools, and we plan for them to graduate from Harrison High.

     My connection with law enforcement came early. During my middle school years, I was a member of the Cadet program. It was then and there that the seeds of interest in law enforcement were planted. I worked for the Ashcraft family for seven years, through high school and after graduation, while volunteering my spare time with the cadets and later the reserve officers.

     In 1987 I became a reserve officer with the Clare County Sheriff Department, donating over 1000 hours of my spare time to the Department while keeping full-time hours at work. Sometimes I didn’t want to go to my ‘real job’ because I was so involved with and interested in my volunteer work with the Sheriff Department. In 1988 I attended Correction Officer School at Kirtland Community College, earning my certification as a corrections officer. Shortly after, in 1989, I was hired by the Clare County Sheriff Department, working corrections and dispatch part time.

     In the fall of 1989 I was sent to the Police Academy at Delta Community College, graduating in December, and after graduation I was hired as a full time deputy sheriff road officer for Clare County. In 2003, I left the Sheriff’s Department for a short time to work for the Tribal Police on the Isabella Chippewa Reservation in Mt. Pleasant. It only took me a few months to realize my heart was in Clare County, working for the citizens of the only place I have ever called home. The Clare County Sheriff Department rehired me without reservations when I asked to return to the force and I eagerly resumed my responsibilities as a road officer.

     Since my graduation from the Police Academy, I have chosen to continually improve and expand my skills in public service. Some of my advanced trainings have been in the areas of firearms, emergency response, K-9 handling, school liaison, gangs, drugs, domestic violence, investigation of sudden death and criminal sexual conduct, building searches, and computer server software. I attended FBI sub-machine gun training, SCBA/SCUBA Visual Cylinder Inspector training, background investigator training, interrogation techniques training, training in the use of deadly force, drug identification training, legal updates, and issues relating to youth, drugs, and school.

     During my law enforcement career, I have held additional positions of responsibility. I was a first responder with United Rescue Service and became certified as a cold water diver. I am a past member of the Northern Michigan Police Dog Association as a K-9 handler. I became a member of the Emergency Response Team and became trained in SWAT techniques through the Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Task Force. I have been a firearms instructor and a simunitions instructor and attended Advanced Supervisory School. I implemented an MDT Grant in the Sheriff Department, setting up and installing equipment, obtaining licensing and managing Windows 2000 Server as the network administrator of the internal and mobile network system. I have served as a road sergeant and a school liaison officer for Harrison Community Schools.

     Because of my efforts on behalf of the citizens of and visitors to Clare County, I have been honored by the Clare County Human Service Coordinating Body with their Community Service Award. I have been recognized by the Clare County Sheriff Department twice as the Officer of the Year, and the Clare-Gladwin School to Work Partnership has acknowledged my contributions to their program with their Certificate of Appreciation.