Sheriff Chad L. Spence
Address: 650 E Main St, P.O. Box 339 Centreville, MI 49032
Telephone: 269-467-9045
Website: http://www.stjosephcountymi.org/sheriff/
I am a proud lifelong resident of St. Joseph County, Michigan. My wife and I have been happily married for 28 years, and together we have three amazing children, daughter in-law and 2 beautiful grandkids. Family is at the heart of my life, and we prioritize spending quality time together, sharing meals, and engaging in meaningful conversations. My values are rooted in faith, love, compassion, and respect.
After earning my Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University, I began my career at the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office. Over my 26 years of service, I held various roles, including Deputy, Narcotics Investigator, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, Major Crimes Scene Task Force Technician/Investigator, Blood Spatter Reconstruction Expert, Firearms Instructor, and SRT/SWAT Commander. I was also a member of the MISSION/Internal Affairs Team and led numerous administrative projects, such as grant acquisitions, firearms and tactics training, and equipment modernization.
My dedication to excellence earned me multiple accolades, including:
- Employee of the Year (2000) under Sheriff Matt Lori and Undersheriff Dennis Allen.
- Employee of the Year (2010) under Sheriff Brad Balk and Undersheriff Mark Lillywhite.
- Investigator of the Year (2014) from Prosecutor John McDonough.
Following my retirement from the Sheriff’s Office, I transitioned into education, working as the St. Joseph County Jail teacher. In this role, I helped inmates prepare for success through GED testing. I then taught Public Safety to high school juniors and seniors for the St. Joseph County Career and Technical Education (CTE) Consortium at Centreville Jr./Sr. High School.
As the inaugural instructor of this program, I built the curriculum from the ground up. Within its first year, our Public Safety program was selected to represent Michigan’s 49 CTE Public Safety programs at the prestigious CTE Showcase in Lansing. My contributions were recognized with 3 Educator of the Month awards and the 2024 ACTE New Teacher of the Year Award for the State of Michigan.
