On Nov. 13, Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright swore in new VBT Police Officer Gabriel Brandel, a resident of Novi who most recently served as a police officer for the Huron Clinton Metro Parks at Kensington Park.
Brandel, 28, is a certified fire fighter and graduated from the police academy in 2014. He is a highly decorated member of the Michigan National Guard and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan, 2011-12. He holds a bachelor of science in Criminal Justice and has worked as an auxiliary police officer and dispatcher. His wife Leandra, her mother and his mother attended the swearing in.