By: K. Michelle Moran | Grosse Pointe Times | Published July 27, 2022
GROSSE POINTE SHORES — One of the newest members of the Grosse Pointe Shores Public Safety Department is more than a little bit familiar with the east side.
Officer Billy Clifton Howe, 25, lives in St. Clair Shores and grew up in Roseville, where he graduated from Roseville High School in 2014. Howe, who started working for the Shores May 16, was sworn in by Mayor Ted Kedzierski during a May 17 Shores City Council meeting.
Kedzierski said it gave him “great gladness” to swear in the new officer.
Public Safety Director Kenneth Werenski said Howe can handle all aspects of the job well and has “a lot of integrity.”
“When you meet a good guy like Billy and you meet his family … it’s obvious where that comes from,” Werenski said, adding that residents can feel confident they’re in good hands if Howe shows up at their door during an emergency.
Howe received an associate degree in general studies from Macomb Community College in 2016 and graduated from MCC’s fire academy in 2017. He graduated from Superior Ambulance’s Emergency Medical Technician Program as a basic EMT in 2018 and became a paramedic after completing the paramedic program at Henry Ford Community College in 2019. From 2019 until he started working in the Shores, Howe worked for Superior Ambulance.
Howe said it was the Shores that put him through MCC’s police academy this year. Grosse Pointe Shores is Howe’s first leap into public safety. He said he was attracted to the department by the bond the officers have with each other and with the small community.
“They’re a very close-knit group, so it was a no-brainer,” Howe said of his decision to apply for the public safety officer position.
On hand for his swearing-in were his parents, Cliff and Tonette Howe — Cliff Howe proudly pinned on his son’s badge — as well as his brother, Jered Howe; fiancée Kay Sandlin; and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, Rozlyn. They said they hope to get married later this year or next year.