Retired Sumpter Police Chief James Pierce, Jr. dies July 26

Retired Sumpter Township Police Chief James Pierce of Van Buren Township died July 26 at the age of 73. He had served in law enforcement for more than 45 years.
Chief Pierce served as Sumpter Police Commander for two years under his best friend Police Chief Melvin Turner before being named police chief in 2006, a position he held for ten years.
He was a Navy veteran, third-degree Tae Kwon Do Black Belt who taught karate, and retired as sergeant from the Detroit Police Department after 30 years of service, including 10 years as Mayor Coleman Young’s personal security officer. After retiring, he briefly served as a deputy sheriff in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department before coming to Sumpter.
After retiring from Sumpter, he was not ready to give up police work and returned to the City of Detroit Police Department in the Police Assistant Training Division. He finally retired from police work in 2018.
After his death, a posting on the Sumpter Township Police Facebook page said: “Chief Pierce was a strong believer in family. He treated each of us as members of his family and changed the dynamic of the police department. He was proud to be the Chief of Police of Sumpter Township and equally proud of the men and women who make up the department.
“Chief Pierce created many opportunities for members of the department to excel through education and promotions, laying the foundation for our present balanced command staff and the robust, responsive, and efficient department we have today… Rest easy. We’ll take it from here.”
Chief Pierce often talked about the motorcycle trips he loved to take with his beloved wife Regina. They had belonged to several motorcycle clubs.
Services were Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the David C. Brown Funeral Home in Belleville. The full obituary is on page 7.