St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office

10/25/2026

Cops for Christ – What a Great Day!!!

God blessed us with a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the weather was great, and more than 100 people came out to enjoy an afternoon of faith, food, and fellowship with our deputies, fellow law enforcement officers, and members of our community.

A special thank you to Deputy Joe Bingaman. I am proud of the work Joe put into making today possible. This event showed his willingness to step up, bring people together, and take on a leadership role within our Sheriff’s Office. I appreciate his efforts and the example he sets for our younger deputies. Great job, Joe!!!

A huge thank you to the West Mendon Community Church, Crossroads Missionary Church, and Mendon United Methodist Church for all the food, preparation, hard work, and hospitality. We truly appreciate everything you did to make this day possible!

It was great seeing families, friends, law enforcement, and members of our community spending time together. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the everyday demands of the job and simply enjoy each other’s company.

I believe faith, fellowship, and looking out for one another can do a lot of good, both within our Sheriff’s Office and throughout our community.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made the first Cops for Christ event such a success!

God bless!

— Sheriff Chad Spence

10/24/2026

I couldn’t be more proud of this team!

We had a great time attending the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association Conference. We learned a lot about leadership, the challenges facing our jails and law enforcement across the country, and things we can do to make our Sheriff’s Office even better.

I want to especially thank the Michigan Sheriffs' Association, Executive Director Matt Saxton, Deputy Director Dan Pfannes, and their entire staff for putting on such a great conference. There was a lot of good information and plenty of things we took away from it. We appreciate all the hard work that went into making it happen!

One thing that really made me proud was hearing so many people talking about the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office and the great things our men and women are doing. It’s pretty special to hear people from across the state recognizing what’s happening right here in St. Joseph County.

In less than two years, this team has accomplished so much. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work alongside. I love each and every one of them for who they are and what they do for our Sheriff’s Office and our community.

And while these pictures are of our leadership team, the credit belongs to all the men and women of the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office. They’re the ones putting in the work every day and making all of this possible.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I’m even more proud of the people who have made it happen.

We’ve come a long way in a short time, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next!

P.S. As you can see from the pictures, getting this group to stand still and take a serious photo can be a challenge of its own! 😂

-Proud Sheriff Spence

10/21/2026

Just a reminder! Cops for Christ is this Saturday, October 24, from noon to 3 PM at West Mendon Community Church. Bring the family and join us for an afternoon of faith, fellowship, food, and fun.

Everyone is welcome! Hope to see you there!

Cops for Christ – October 24

We invite our community, law enforcement, first responders, families, and friends to join us for Cops for Christ on October 24 from noon to 3:00 PM at West Mendon Community Church.

This event started with Deputy Joe Bingaman. Joe came to me with the idea of starting Cops for Christ and asked if I would support it. I was all for it.

I am very proud of Joe for taking the initiative to turn his idea into something that brings people together. He deserves the credit for getting this started, along with the many others who have stepped up to help.

What makes me equally proud is seeing so many of our employees taking the initiative in different ways to make our Sheriff’s Office and our community better. As Sheriff, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing our people care enough to step up and make a difference. These efforts are being done on their own time, not taxpayer-funded work hours.

One thing I have seen growing within our Sheriff’s Office is faith and the support our people have for one another. We all come from different backgrounds and walks of life, and I respect that. For many of us, faith helps guide us, gives us strength, and gets us through difficult times.

Law enforcement is not an easy profession. I believe faith, taking care of each other, and knowing you have people around you who care can help with healing and make us stronger.

That’s the kind of culture I want to continue building at the Sheriff’s Office.

Come spend the afternoon with us for food, fellowship, live music, activities for the kids, and more.

October 24 | Noon–3:00 PM
West Mendon Community Church
22994 Portage Lake Rd., Mendon

Everyone is welcome!

— Sheriff Chad Spence

10/10/2026

Looks like our School Resource Deputy Jeff Bingaman has found another job as a cheerleader flyer! 😂

All kidding aside, we couldn’t be more proud of Jeff and the work he does at Centreville Public Schools.

His passion for the students, staff, and our Sheriff’s Office shows every day. He truly cares about the kids, enjoys being involved in their activities, and takes their safety seriously.

Jeff is a great example of what a School Resource Deputy should be. Building relationships with students is just as important as keeping them safe.

Thank you, Jeff, for everything you do! We appreciate you, and it looks like the Centreville cheerleaders do too!

-Sheriff Spence

10/08/2026

Cops for Christ – October 24

We invite our community, law enforcement, first responders, families, and friends to join us for Cops for Christ on October 24 from noon to 3:00 PM at West Mendon Community Church.

This event started with Deputy Joe Bingaman. Joe came to me with the idea of starting Cops for Christ and asked if I would support it. I was all for it.

I am very proud of Joe for taking the initiative to turn his idea into something that brings people together. He deserves the credit for getting this started, along with the many others who have stepped up to help.

What makes me equally proud is seeing so many of our employees taking the initiative in different ways to make our Sheriff’s Office and our community better. As Sheriff, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing our people care enough to step up and make a difference. These efforts are being done on their own time, not taxpayer-funded work hours.

One thing I have seen growing within our Sheriff’s Office is faith and the support our people have for one another. We all come from different backgrounds and walks of life, and I respect that. For many of us, faith helps guide us, gives us strength, and gets us through difficult times.

Law enforcement is not an easy profession. I believe faith, taking care of each other, and knowing you have people around you who care can help with healing and make us stronger.

That’s the kind of culture I want to continue building at the Sheriff’s Office.

Come spend the afternoon with us for food, fellowship, live music, activities for the kids, and more.

October 24 | Noon–3:00 PM
West Mendon Community Church
22994 Portage Lake Rd., Mendon

Everyone is welcome!

— Sheriff Chad Spence

10/02/2026

Yesterday was a great day for the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office as we officially launched IGNITE, Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education at the St. Joseph County Jail.

I want to personally thank everyone who attended and helped make our launch a success. We had a great turnout from our community, local leaders, businesses, organizations and our own staff.

A special thank you to those who spoke and shared their support for what we are starting here in St. Joseph County, including Michigan Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Matt Saxton, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Major Jason Gould, District Court Judge Jeffrey Middleton, National Sheriffs’ Association’s Ellie Hooven, and our Jail Administrator Captain Troy Faulk.

I also want to thank Michigan Works! and Glen Oaks Community College for partnering with us as we get IGNITE underway.

Yesterday was only the beginning. I look forward to building more partnerships and providing education, job skills and opportunities for those who are willing to put in the work to make a change.

Thank you to everyone who showed up and supports what we are working to accomplish.

I am excited to see where we can take this program together.

-Sheriff Spence

Honored To Serve, Sworn To Protect

10/02/2026

Another St. Joseph County Grange Fair is in the books!

I want to thank the St. Joseph County Grange Fair and everyone who worked so hard to make this year’s fair another great one.

I also want to thank the men and women of the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office who put in many hours throughout fair week. There are a lot of moving parts that go into keeping the fair safe, and I appreciate everyone who played a part.

Something I really enjoyed this year was having people from all our divisions at the Sheriff’s Office working the booth throughout the week. It gave our own people a chance to spend time together, get to know each other better, and learn more about the different jobs we all do.

Most importantly, it gave our citizens a chance to meet the people who serve them day in and day out. The fair gives us an opportunity to talk with people outside of the normal situations that often bring someone into contact with law enforcement.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth, talked with our staff, took a picture, or simply said hello.

And thank you to all of our staff for doing your part to make the 2026 St. Joseph County Grange Fair another safe and successful fair.

We are proud to serve St. Joseph County.

-Sheriff Spence

Honored to Serve. Sworn to Protect

09/30/2026

We are excited to officially launch the IGNITE (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) program at the St. Joseph County Jail.

Please join us as we introduce IGNITE and share more about the program and the partnerships being developed.

Thursday, October 1
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sheriff’s Office Training Center
602 E. Main St., Centreville

We hope to see you there!

09/25/2026

A big thank you to Woody’s Western Wear in Sturgis for continuing to support the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office!

Last year, Woody’s helped us introduce the cowboy hats at the St. Joseph County Grange Fair. They were a hit, and since then we’ve seen other Sheriff’s Offices around the state start doing the same.

So this year, we decided to step it up a little, custom Sheriff’s Office belt buckles!

We appreciate Woody’s for helping us with the hats, the buckles, and everything they’ve done to support our office. They are a great local, family-owned business, and we’re thankful for the relationship we’ve built with them.

Thank you to everyone at Woody’s Western Wear!

09/17/2026

Congratulations to Danielle Brandenburg!

We are proud to share that Danielle received the 2026 LERMA Carpenter Award for her work in law enforcement records management.

In a short time with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office, Danielle has made a big impact. She has taken the lead on the implementation of our new Records Management System and Jail Management System, along with improving and organizing our FOIA process.

She has done all of this while also playing a major role in our budget responsibilities and handling many of the day-to-day administrative duties that help keep our office running.

Danielle works hard, takes on challenges, and is always looking for ways to make things better and more efficient. Her work has made a difference for our staff, county government, and the citizens we serve.

We were also glad that Danielle’s husband, Tyler, was able to attend and share this special moment with her.

Congratulations, Danielle! We are proud to have you as part of the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office and appreciate everything you do for our agency and community.