Sheriff Saxton Talks Transition From Calhoun County To Statewide Role

Nearly a week after announcing he was resigning as Calhoun County's Sheriff, Matt Saxton sat down to talk about his upcoming role as the new Executive Director of the Michigan Sheriff's Association, the transition process, how the new Calhoun County Sheriff will be selected, the MSA's parental notification system for teen drivers and more.

Saxton was elected Sheriff in 2013 and has served the citizens of Calhoun County for 26 years. On May 1, 2020, he will officially become the next Executive Director for the M.S.A. but will begin transitioning over sooner.

Just as there is a process for him to take on his new role, there is a process in place for selecting his replacement. The new Calhoun County Sheriff will be selected from a panel of three. Those three are Calhoun Probate Judge Michael Jaconette, Calhoun County Prosecutor Dave Gilbert and the yet to be determined third will be the person appointed to replace former Clerk and Register of Deeds Anne Norlander. That appointment is expected to be made on Friday, February 7.

Sheriff Saxton's new role will have him being the voice for and representing all 83 sheriffs for the State of Michigan. Along with representing our state's sheriffs, he will work with his counterparts for each state.

Saxton also spoke in-depth MSA's STOPPED parental notification system which was developed for the state by MSA. The goal of STOPPED is to reduce the number of young drivers who are involved in motor vehicle crashes each year. Parents voluntarily register their vehicles with MSA online. They may register any vehicle – car, boat, ORV, moped, motorcycle – that will be operated by a driver under 21. An identification decal is issued by MSA and affixed to the top left corner of the rear windshield of the vehicle where it serves as a constant reminder to the teen to always drive as if his/her parents are in the car. If, for any reason, the vehicle is pulled over by a participating law enforcement agency while a driver under 21 is driving a notification is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. The notification includes the time and location of the stop, the driver’s name and the number of passengers in the vehicle, the reason for the stop and whether or not any citations were issued. Saxton noted that not one vehicle that has been registered in the program has been involved in a fatal accident. He said that the sticker is also a reminder to the teen driver that their parents will be notified every time they drive.

You can listen to the in-depth interview by clicking below.