KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — According to the Officer Down Memorial, 673 police officers have died in the line of duty in Michigan. Some were deputies, some were sergeants. Some were watch commanders or lieutenants or detectives. But only 15 were sheriffs.
Friday marked 158 years since Michigan’s first sheriff was lost in the line of duty: Kalamazoo County Sheriff Benjamin F. Orcutt.
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Nowadays, sheriffs are more known for their leadership and organizational skills than working with boots on the ground. But that wasn’t always the case.
Orcutt’s case shows how the job has shifted since 1867. But one thing’s the same: It all comes back to the goal of protecting the community and upholding the rule of law.
BORN TO LEAD
Orcutt was born in 1815 in Vermont, but his “enterprising nature” brought him west when he was 19. After stops in Detroit, Chicago and Allegan, he settled in Kalamazoo in 1837. He spent years building houses before he was elected to be a town constable…