Brett Ansel retires after 41 years in law enforcement - Monroe Evening News
Brett Ansel, police chief for the City of Luna Pier for the past three-and-a-half years, is retiring from his post this week, ending a long and successful career in law enforcement that spans 41 years.
Ansel, who turned 64 on Nov. 14, worked his last day in the office Monday. He officially steps down on Sunday from this lakeshore community of 1,300 residents.
More:John Poe takes over as police chief in Luna Pier
He became Luna Pier’s part-time chief on Aug. 1, 2018.
“I had 10 part-time officers when I got here and six under me when I leave,” he said.
Ansel said leaving was bittersweet for him.
“I want to spend more time with my seven grandkids and see what the next adventure will be,” he said this week. “I’ve enjoyed my career, it’s hard to step away. It’s been in my blood. I got to know and work with some of the best law enforcement people, including the sheriff’s department and Michigan State Police and officers on the smaller departments. That’s why I hung around.”
Born and raised in the Monroe area, he said the highlight of his career were the 28 years he served with the Monroe Police Department, starting full-time in 1980 and retiring from there in 2008.
“Times have changed quite a bit,” he said, looking back. “I learned a lot in the seven years I worked in the detective bureau, which is a different type of work. I also had a long stint in the traffic services’ division, which the city never had before. That was a real learning experience. I did all the fatals and started the motorcycle patrols under Chief (John) Michrina.”
While assigned to the division, Ansel trained new officers on laser and radar equipment and organized seat belt enforcement and drunk-driving awareness programs. The assignment he dreaded the most was knocking on doors of families to notify them that a loved one would never return due to the effects of alcohol that caused the person to die in an accident.
“The message to not drink and drive needs to be out and it needs to be loud and clear,” he said at the time to educate and try to prevent tragedies.
In 1996, he received an Officer of the Year award from the Monroe Exchange Club for his work in educating the public. Monroe Police Chief Hendrik Kanavel praised the corporal, saying “He’s one of the quiet guys, but he’s there every day doing the job and sometimes going well beyond the job. On any day of the week, Cpl. Ansel is the type of officer you can depend on to find a way to accomplish a job.”
Ansel worked with a number of other Monroe chiefs, too, including Al Frank, Dalvin Arnold and Tom Moore.
“It’s been a good journey,” he said. “If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
After leaving Monroe, he was employed for CrimeStoppers for about a year and then joined the Dundee Police Department and was employed there for seven years (2010-2017).
When he joined the Luna Pier force, he remembers having only two days to get familiar with the department.
“I had to pick it up for myself,” he recalled.
He recalled one harrowing experience as a sergeant in Dundee in February, 2016, when he escaped serious injury as a car was sliding out of control on snowy and slippery US-23 just north of M-50. His only option was to jump over a guardrail. He was 58 at the time.
In October, 1996, the Monroe police officer used his squad car to corral a runaway postal truck that smashed several mailboxes and was headed for a popular walking trail. The mail carrier driving the truck reportedly had a seizure about 1:15 p.m. as he drove along N. Custer Rd. near Veterans Park. Ansel was at the right place at the right time. He was parked along the road near the fire station checking for speeders when he spotted the westbound runaway truck.
“He jumps the curb and starts taking out mailboxes and posts,” he remembered. “Then he’s going all over the road.”
He was the fourth oldest of six sons of Norm and Betty Ansel of LaSalle. Two other brothers -- Darryl and Dean – already have retired from law enforcement.
“I’m the last one to retire,” Brett said. “I was the first one to go into (enforcement) and the last to go.”
He and his wife of 42 years – the former Sandy Nietubicz of Monroe – have built a home in Temperance. The couple have three grown children – daughter Callie, who lives in Georgia; son, Grant (Jana) of Ida, and another daughter, Melissa (Kevin) Radabaugh of Lambertville.
Brett enjoys hunting and woodworking in his spare time.
He said he’s not had any bad times in any community he worked in.
“I like serving people and working in the cities,” he said. “It’s not all about writing tickets and stopping cars. I’m a blessed man with a career that I enjoyed. The Lord’s been by my side and been my protector. I give him credit.”
source: https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/crime/2021/12/02/brett-ansel-retires-after-41-years-law-enforcement/8817119002/
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