On April 19, 1917, a new homeland security calvary team trotted out onto the grounds leased from Michigan Agricultural College farmland with the goal of protecting Michigan residents from the threat of a looming war.
About 95 years later, that team has grown to become what now is known as the Michigan State Police. Although state troopers no longer are riding horses and the land rented from MSU has been returned to the university, the institution is taking its upcoming anniversary to remember its roots.
Michigan State Police spokeswoman Shanon Banner said the institution is celebrating its upcoming 95th birthday by posting historical photos on its Facebook page throughout April and hosting an “online birthday party” on April 19.
Gov. Rick Snyder also honored the institution by issuing a proclamation declaring April 2012 as Michigan State Police History Month.
Since its inception, Michigan State Police has had a long history with East Lansing and the university, said Phillip Schertzing, an academic specialist and instructor in the MSU School of Criminal Justice who retired from the Michigan State Police after 25 years of service in June 2002.
For most of the Michigan State Police’s history, the post located on MSU grounds was the headquarters for the institution, shifting only after new space and technology were needed for the Michigan State Police to grow, Schertzing said.
“We just grew so much there just wasn’t room — we needed something more modern,” he said.
The Michigan State Police Post in East Lansing, formerly located at 714 S. Harrison Road, recently was decommissioned and the land is back in the hands of the university.
Additionally, Schertzing said the proximity of Michigan State Police to the university in part led to the creation of the School of Criminal Justice, formerly known as the School of Police Administration and Public Safety, in 1935. Local law enforcement also has worked with the Michigan State Police during busy times on campus, such as home football games and past riots, he said.
“MSU has had a real partnership with Michigan State Police that has continued in various fashions to this present time,” Schertzing said.
For criminal justice senior Matthew McLalin, the Michigan State Police went from being an institution he knew very little about to one where he’d like to spend his career. During an internship there in fall 2011, McLalin said the atmosphere and close-knit relationship of the Michigan State Police was something he wanted to be a part of.
“It felt like a brotherhood,” he said. “Everyone really supported each other.”
Snyder spokesman Ken Silfven said in an email that the way the Michigan State Police has grown from a modestly sized calvary unit to the institution it is today demonstrates the importance and versatility of the Michigan State Police in the state’s history.
“As Michigan changes and confronts new challenges, the state police continually adapt as well.” Silfven said.
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