After 26 years with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Sgt. Frank Schipani will seek greener pastures beginning May 14.
In his case, it may be bluer water.
Commander of the Springfield Township sheriff substation for two and a half years, Schipani, 56, plans to continue as instructor with the sheriff’s dive team and as a go-to maintenance man.
‘I’m going to stay busy,? he said. ‘I’m not going to sit around and do nothing.?
Schipani was a supervisor at Ford when his brother, a Detroit police officer, encouraged him to work behind a badge.
‘He told me what a great job it was, so I decided to take a tremendous pay cut,? he said with a smile. He worked five years for the White Lake police before joining the sheriff’s department. It’s a career move he’s never regretted.
‘I love my job. It’s had its ups and downs, but I take great satisfaction in taking criminals off the street.?
He worked road patrol for four years toward the beginning of his career, and he notes how times have changed.
‘Back in the old days you had to be pretty self sufficient. You were out here all alone and backup was a long way up.?
Schipani has worked a variety of communities and specialties, including undercover work and auto theft.
He has worked with the sheriff’s marine division for about nine years, and has been involved with special training in homeland security in addition to being on-call for water-related emergencies.
His love for diving came from his childhood. A big fan of the ‘Sea Hunt? television show, he worked a paper route for a year to save money for his first diving equipment. He has enjoyed shipwreck diving and taught each member of his family how to dive.
Beyond his continuing involvement with the dive team, he hopes to spend more time with recreational boating and diving, and more time with the family. He and his wife are raising two grandchildren, and Schipani already keeps busy as a Cub Scout den leader and working with their youth baseball and soccer leagues.
He’s also a street rod buff, having rebuilt two classic cars for show. His current pride and joy is a 1934 Ford, for which he paid $125 a few years back.
‘It had a tree growing through it,? he said, but he put the body on a Corvette frame and added a Lincoln motor and transmission.
‘I just like driving the car,? he said, but he has won 11 first place awards in various shows.
While he will continues some of his law enforcement relationships with the dive team, Schipani admits it will be tough to leave the day-to-day work routine.
‘I’m going to miss it,? he said. ‘It gets to be part of your life.?