CENTREVILLE – A one-day fundraiser last weekend moved St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department a step closer to establishing a K-9 unit.
Organized by St. Joseph County United Way and its executive director, Kelly Hostetler, the second annual “Sheriff’s Department Roof Sit” netted $11,070.
The roof-sit portion of the four-hour event didn’t go as planned, but Hostetler said the goal of helping the Centreville-based agency was realized. She said the success of the inaugural fundraiser a year ago made it worth organizing again in 2026.
“You may have noticed the drone flying above us all morning … we’re here today because last year’s event raised enough money to help buy that drone for the sheriff’s department,” Hostetler said at the Saturday, May 30 event. “That’s why I came back to the sheriff and said we need to do this again this year.”
The 2025 Sheriff’s Department Roof Sit raised more than $12,000, providing about 80% of the funding needed to purchase the drone. Ironically, according to Sheriff Chad Spence, the drone provided critical assistance in apprehending a subject the night before Saturday’s fundraiser.
Spence and Undersheriff David Northrop started the day atop the single-story sheriff’s department building. Strong winds, however, made it difficult for them to communicate with people on the ground and nearly impossible to take part in a live radio broadcast. In the end, Spence and Northrop ended up joining the crowd gathered on the front lawn of the sheriff’s department.
The event also served as a quasi-PR opportunity for the sheriff’s department, as the agency showcased special-operations equipment and departments, including Dive and Rescue, Special-Response Team, Emergency Management, Autism Awareness and Victim Services, as well as K-9 units from Cass and Van Buren counties.
Hostetler said most of the “Sheriff’s Fund” programs are manned by volunteers, but still require financial support to continue their operations.
“The volunteers who run these programs are the ones who are paying for them,” she said, citing Dive and Rescue as an example. “We’ve got 92 lakes in St. Joseph County, and we’re sending dive and rescue volunteers out to rescue people, yet we expect (volunteer members) to pay for their own wet suit? That just doesn’t make sense.”
Hostetler has overseen St. Joseph County United Way since its inception in January 1999.
Spence, meanwhile, said he would like to allocate the $11,000 raised Saturday toward establishing a K-9 unit for the agency. Locally, police departments in White Pigeon and Three Rivers are the only law-enforcement agencies that have a K-9 officer, in addition to Michigan State Police.
“We’re one of the few sheriff’s departments without a K-9 unit, so, I’d like to fix that,” Spence said. “We had one when Matt Lori was here (more than 20 years ago), but we need to get it back. Police dogs are good for the community, they’re good for enforcement.”
Spence said he doesn’t know what St. Joseph County would do without such strong support from the local United Way. As he surveyed the front lawn – noting hundreds of people, a bounce house, a team of volunteers grilling burgers and hot dogs, and K-9 demonstrations from other agencies – Spence acknowledged St. Joseph County’s good fortune.
“We’re the most fortunate county in the state, probably even in the country, to have a Kelly Hostetler … there is no one like her,” the second-year sheriff said. “Our United Way is so strong because of her and we’re just a small part of what she has done to help out locally. I can’t thank her enough.”
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: St. Joseph County sheriff hopes to bring K9 unit back with fundraiser
Reporting by Jef Rietsma, Special to Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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