Canton Police introduces new veterans programs

CANTON TWP. – From small changes to nameplates to big changes in how the academies receive funding, police say the attention paid to veterans benefits the community in many ways.

Last month, Canton Township police approved a rare change to their officers’ uniforms: Those who have served in the military can request to have a small American flag and the word “veteran” added to their name tag. That can make a difference, they say, when officers encounter veterans in distress.

And in 2023, the department changed its longstanding policy for the first time and began promoting qualified military veterans through the police academy.

A veteran in crisis

Sergeant George Hall has learned firsthand the value of his military experience in his work with the Canton Police Department.

A few weeks ago, Hall and several other officers were dispatched to the home of an armed U.S. Marine veteran who was considering suicide.

“I said, ‘Hey man, I’m a veteran, I know what you’re going through,'” said Hall, who served in the U.S. Marines from 2006 to 2010 and was stationed in Fallujah, Iraq, among other places during his service.

After carefully defused the situation and secured the weapon, Hall sat down at the veteran’s kitchen table to talk, help arrange a hospital visit, and even lighten the mood with an inside joke about the relationship between the Marines and the Navy.

“Not everyone could make him smile in a minute,” Hall said. “(Others) don’t know those inside jokes. They don’t know that they can make those jokes, that he’s going to benefit from it and that he’s going to get something in return. The camaraderie and the bond is something that only we (veterans) can share.

“It’s an instant, easy connection to make knowing we’re going to get through this together,” he added. “I’m not leaving this guy’s side until he gets help.”

“A visual clue”

Interactions like the one Hall experienced are all too common, officials said, and are a key reason the agency recently approved adding the designation “veteran” to the name tags of interested officers who have served in the military.

“It’s a visual cue,” said Canton police sergeant Joe Keimig, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1999 to 2005 and deployed to Jordan, two tours in Iraq and another in Djibouti, Africa. “If service to country and service in the military helps that situation, that conversation and de-escalation, hopefully someone can see that and get it right away.”

The additions to the nameplate also allowed the department to recognize officers who have served in the military, he noted.

Fill the rows

A new program to develop future officers through the police academy is also helping the department by filling the ranks with qualified candidates, Keimig said.

Until recently, only large organizations like the Michigan State Police or the Detroit Police sponsored recruits, but given the nationwide shortage of men and women entering the police force, the situation has changed.

“We don’t get 200 applicants for four positions like we did 15, 20 years ago,” Keimig said. “Many departments have had to get creative to fill their police departments. One of our impulses was, ‘Hey, military veterans have already served this country honorably. They have many of the values, much of the work ethic that we already expect from our officers … so why not offer an academy sponsorship for people who are honorably discharged from the military?'”

Applicants who are military veterans must also pass physical and written tests as well as a background check, he noted.

The first class of sponsored recruits began at the police academy in 2023 and are currently completing their probationary period at the police department.

“We now have a second class of military veterans coming through the academy and that has really helped us increase our staffing levels,” Keimig said. “The work ethic they bring to our organization is a great fit for us.”

Stories to tell

The Canton Police Department has nearly 100 sworn officers, meaning veterans make up nearly 20% of the police force.

One of them is Officer Mo Aljumali, whose illustrious military career began in Baghdad in 2003, where he worked as an interpreter for the Marines at age 18, but was eventually transferred to the United States with his family when his life was threatened in Iraq. He and his wife moved around the United States for several years before settling in Michigan, where he enrolled in the police academy and just finished his probationary period at Canton.

Another is Sergeant Matt Roberson, who knew he wanted to be a police officer when he was 15. Roberson served in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1997, came home, graduated from the police academy and started working for the Canton Township Police Department in 2003. He was promoted to sergeant in 2019.

Like the others, he makes it a point to get in touch with veterans whenever possible.

“Life is shared through stories,” Roberson said. “When I go and talk to a veteran … the connection through sharing stories is really great.”

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