By Jim Bloch
“To me, being the police chief is not just about holding the title or rank,” said Donovon Ennis after being promoted from sergeant to chief of the St. Clair Police Department. “A badge does not make someone a leader. True leadership is not something that is handed to you. It is earned everyday through service, humility and accountability.”
It did not take the city of St. Clair long to find its new police chief. The city council celebrated Chief Tim Raker’s achievements and retirement at its regular meeting Dec. 8. Two weeks later, the city named Ennis as its new chief.
The city council voted unanimously at its regular meeting Dec. 15 to promote Ennis. After the vote, the council and audience applauded the appointment. City Clerk Annette Sturdy swore in Ennis and his wife Alicia pinned the new chief’s badge to her husband’s uniform shirt.
“I appreciate everyone coming tonight,” said Ennis, as heard on the CTV-Channel 6 recording of the meeting posted on YouTube. He thanked his wife and family for their support. “Being married to a police officer is not easy. I have the rest of my family here and they realize that family events cater to my work schedule. It’s birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgivings. They see when I’m off and then bring themselves together around my schedule.”
Ennis graduated from the Macomb Police Academy at Macomb Community College in 2005 and finished his associate’s degree there in 2006. He spent just over a year in the Memphis, Michigan, Police Department before being hired by SCPD as a patrol officer in 2008. He completed his B.S. in criminal justice at Ferris State in 2011. In 2016, he was promoted to detective corporal in 2016 and sergeant in 2023.
Ennis will earn a salary of $92,000 per year, a 20 percent hike from his hourly wages as sergeant; work 40-hour weeks; hold regular office hours; receive a city vehicle to drive while on duty; family insurance including medical, dental and vision; retiree insurance covering 80 percent of medical, dental and vision premiums after 25 years of service, if he’s least 50 years old; all necessary uniforms; be evaluated by the city superintendent after six months on the job; receive vacation, sick and personal days, and 11 paid holidays; continue to be a participant in the MERS defined benefit program for retirement
into which the city will contribute three percent of his salary; and benefit from city-funded professional development opportunities, memberships and conferences.
Ennis thanked his immediate predecessors, Chiefs Raker and Rick Jefferson. He thanked the officers serving in the department.
“This position is fundamentally about giving back,” Ennis said. “It’s about supporting the officers themselves, our community and the citizens who trust us with their safety. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I’m committed to leading with humility, listening to and learning from those around me and prioritizing people both within this department and the community that we serve. Thank you to the city council and the administration for trusting me with this role. I’m dedicated to earning you trust every single day. So, thank you very much.”
The council and audience applauded Ennis again.
“Congratulations, Don,” said Mayor Bill Cedar. “I’ve been in this position since his first day working here and I can tell you he has always been professional and compassionate. I think that’s going to carry on through his new position. I feel so strongly that he’s going to be a new chief.”
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
