Brandon Twp – Whether parting a sea of oncoming traffic for paramedics, responding to alarms, or chit-chatting with residents, Deputy Mike Garrison is an “officer of the community.”
After loading his gear into the black patrol car, Garrison’s first call of the day is a “Code Three,” an assist for a woman who felt weak, at a local group home.
Garrison explained that on this call the paramedics arrive on scene to tend to the well-being of the patient, but he responded to make sure the scene was safe.
One of more than a dozen deputies who serve to protect Brandon Township, Garrison is the only deputy to work the Directed Patrol position under the direction of Sergeant Tim McIsaac.
A position of diversity, the Directed Patrol officer is sometimes assigned to the detective bureau, to specialized traffic control situations or stints as a plainclothes officer. He also serves as a field training officer. Each role depends on where the department needs an extra layer of security.
“We as a community are fortunate to have an officer such as him with us,” Sgt. McIsaac said. “Mike has exceeded all of our expectations of him.”
“The position of Directed Patrol is a jack-of-all-trades position,” added McIsaac. “Mike is a well-rounded flexible officer and a pleasure to supervise.”
Considering himself lucky, Garrison worked nearly six years at the Oakland County Jail before transferring to the Brandon Substation three years ago, after graduating from the police academy in 1999.
Jail duty served to humble Garrison who explains that basically people are not criminals.
“It’s sad sometimes for me to take people to jail,” said Garrison. “I’ve affected their lives forever.”
“You have to be all things to all situations.”
“With this job you have to switch from nice guy to not so nice in a millisecond but hopefully you can talk your way out of a bad situation instead of pulling out a Taser,” said Garrison.
“Deputy Garrison is one of the few people I’ve ever met that worked hard to be a cop,” said Larry Roberts of his co-worker, who worked on the production line at General Motors for 18 years before deciding to be a officer.
While working afternoons and evenings provides more of an opportunity to get to know the residents, Garrison admits the non-conventional late hours leave little room for family life.
“The job doesn’t work very well for family because afternoon guys lose more time from home,” said Garrison. “Giving up holidays and nights at home is not conducive to a family life either.”
Getting to know the community has been Garrison’s “family-type focus,” often stopping to chat with kids on the street or making sure residents know he’s around if they need him.
“When I first transferred out here I set a goal to learn a new area or street every Sunday,” said Garrison.
“I got lucky, I like it up here and the people in this township are friendly people, ” Garrison said as he was describing the basic personality of a quaint cottage community surrounding Perry Lake.
“The wellness checks are the calls I don’t like to go on,” explained Garrison, who said the department often gets calls to check on the elderly who live alone.
Following a fast, silent ride to an open-door alarm, Garrison’s second call of the day was met by another township deputy at a secluded estate where a silent alarm alerted the deputies.
With hand on his gun and a calm gait, Garrison instinctively surrounded the home in unison with his backup, ready to flush out a suspect.
This time the alarm proved to be false, the result of a simple gust of wind.
“There’s something to be said for knowing the people you work with,” said Garrison, getting back into the patrol car after securing the home.
Following a 15-minute patrol, a call comes in reporting a head-on crash with injuries.
A quick U-turn on M-15 and within seconds he’s on the accident scene.
A busy highway, a demolished car and injury, a situation all too common for Garrison.
“I know Deputy Garrison, I like him and I want to tell Mike what happened,” a teenage accident witness said, crying.
As the late afternoon traffic snarled around the scene, Garrison and his partner directed traffic around the accident while paramedics assisted the victim.
Without warning, a runaway truck attempting to stop skidded toward the officers, prompting the pair to jump into the ditch. A narrow escape.
“I guess we had to jump pretty quick. It was pretty hairy,” laughed Garrison, handing the truck driver a ticket. “The driver told me the same thing everyone else says, ‘it’s not the truck I normally drive.’”
When asked how the rest of the shift went, Garrison shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“Some days it’s quiet, some days you never know what you’ll find.”