The City of Whitehall had the luxury of an easy choice for its next police chief when Roger Squiers decided to set a retirement date of May 31; detective lieutenant Brandon Mahoney will take over the position after that. The decision was publicly announced at the April 8 city council meeting.
Squiers, who took over the chief position in early 2011, came to Whitehall from Owosso, where he'd climbed to the rank of detective sergeant over 20 years and had briefly served as interim chief following a superior's departure. Having moved to Owosso for family reasons - both Squiers and wife Dena's parents lived there as well, and his kids grew up there - he was comfortable, and initially disinclined to seek the Whitehall position, believing "some retired sergeant" would get it. However, Dena talked him into applying.
"I put in for it, and here we are," Squiers said. "I work with and for a bunch of great people. (I'm) living the dream. I've gotten to fulfill my dream. I started police work when I was 19, and even then I had it in my mind that I wanted to be chief someday to see if my ideas about police work would work."
Squiers' ideas focus on customer service in addition to the dealings with crime that officers by nature have on their docket. There are things he and his officers do - changing thermostat batteries in the middle of the night, answering questions someone visiting the city might have - that aren't technically part of the police's job description, but that he considers part of being a community leader.
"We talk to people on the phone all the time with questions," Squiers said. "People have gotten to where they know they can call the Whitehall police department for what they'd consider a dumb question. It's not a dumb question, though, because they don't know the answer and we might.
"Even (early in my career), I'd do things other police officers would tell me was dumb, that it wasn't my job. I thought that showed a great deal of arrogance, because I want my job to help people."
Squiers relayed "a career-maker" moment that underlined his belief in serving the community that occurred during his Owosso time. A man he previously had arrested for drunk driving made a point to return to the department months later to thank him for doing it, because it was the consequence that made him turn his life around.
Squiers' weekly police reports have been popular with newspaper readers over the years - the Mirror has the feedback to prove it - and those, too, he considers part of his service. Sometimes non-serious events are included to elicit a chuckle from readers, but there are also events Squiers considers important to keep people informed. He cited a recent police report item about a suspicious subject who backed into a parking spot before entering a local business. That's a move seasoned police officers recognize, but civilians might not, as being one common among those who intend to commit crimes because it makes it harder to identify a license plate.
"While this didn't end up being a crime in Whitehall, it tells people the officers are out there doing the job and paying attention to little things that any other person driving by might totally gloss over," Squiers said. "You're getting protection at night while you're sleeping even though you never see it."
Although Squiers has been in law enforcement some 45 years now, he said retiring wasn't necessarily an easy decision. He felt he could probably continue to do the work for some years longer, but that the department would be best served if he stepped away.
"I've always believed there's a time I just needed to get out of the way," Squiers said. "Could I function in this position another 10 years? Probably, and I know other chiefs that have...I don't have what I used to have. This position needs more energy."
Like Squiers, Mahoney briefly took over much of the job duties of the chief at one point - in 2009, when prior chief Don Hulbert suffered a stroke that led to his retirement from the position. Mahoney applied for the full-time chief position when Squiers ultimately landed it; such a sequence of events can sometimes lead to the runner-up seeking a chief position elsewhere. However, Mahoney said then-mayor Mac Hatch reassured him of his value to the department after that decision.
"I've always enjoyed the White Lake area, from coaching in Montague to being a detective lieutenant in Whitehall," Mahoney said. "There was always some level of disappointment (at not getting the position then, but) I was 35. I think some of the other guys around me were more disappointed than I was."
Squiers said he leaned on Mahoney's experience and local knowledge early in his tenure and has often solicited his feedback over the years. He's always been impressed with Mahoney's leadership qualities, and in turn Mahoney said he always felt comfortable with Squiers, who never viewed Mahoney's internal reputation as a challenge to his authority.
"Any place with an employer/employee dynamic, you have an official leader and an unofficial leader," Squiers said. "You have a person who's on the team but is the one people go to when they have questions or problems, before they go to the boss. Maybe he'll send them to the boss. He's had that leadership role the whole time I've been here. He's already recognized by the officers as being that leader."
Mahoney's installation likely ensures continuity in the police department. Squiers is confident his successor will carry over the things he deems most important - that customer service emphasis - while making the changes that will keep things running smoothly. Mahoney, meanwhile, said getting this job now rather than on his first attempt gives him a more reasoned look at things than would've been possible 15 years ago.
"When I was 35, there were things that would've really gotten me worked up and gave me some sleepless evenings, longer chats with my wife," Mahoney said. "There's now a different approach to dealing with those things, a calmer head."
Likely nothing said more about the respect Mahoney has cultivated among his co-workers than when he learned he was the only internal candidate to apply for the chief opening after it was posted, something that meant a lot to him.
"To see nobody else put in for it made it feel like they trust me, like in Chief's retirement I'll be able to take the reins and run things smoothly," Mahoney said. "We have a good group we work with now. I'm excited about the future and about the fact that as things come up, I have a great staff that can help keep the city safe."
