Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin to retire at end of 2024
PETOSKEY — After 43 years in law enforcement, Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin has announced his decision to retire.
His last day at the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office will be on Dec. 31, 2024.
“My wife and I are going to travel,” Wallin said. “It’s time. Forty-three years is enough.”
Aside from a brief stint with the City of Charlevoix Police Department, Wallin has spent his entire career with the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office. Wallin worked with two previous Emmet County sheriffs during his long career, starting with Sheriff Richard Zink in 1981 and later Sheriff Jeffrey Bodzick.
“When I first started here in 1981, I was hired by Sheriff Zink,” Wallin said. “I was a road patrol officer and I also, at that time, worked at the jail, too. For the first 12 years, I worked the road. I was an accident reconstructionist and D.A.R.E officer and then Jeff appointed me undersheriff in 1993. I was his undersheriff for nine years.”
When Bodzick unexpectedly passed away in 2002, Wallin was appointed sheriff.
“I got appointed by the panel, which was the probate court judge, the county clerk and the county prosecutor. They appointed me sheriff in 2002,” Wallin said. “My first run for office where I had to be elected was in 2004 and I’ve been re-elected for five terms.”
Wallin said he appreciated the election process and thanked Emmet County voters for supporting him over the years.
“It’s every four years and people always say, ‘Well gosh, you must hate running for office.’ I go, ‘No. It’s a good process,’ because the only bosses I have are the 35,000 people who live in this county. Those are my bosses. Those are the ones I answer to,” Wallin said. “If I’m not doing a good job of providing a good service, well then they have the choice to either elect me or un-elect me. It works.”
Wallin said the biggest takeaway from his career is that “it’s not about me.”
“It’s about the people who work for me,” he said. “They’re the ones who make me look good, because I’ve got a great staff and they do an outstanding job. I always say there’s three reasons people live in Emmet County. One, it’s a beautiful place to live. Two, they have great schools. And three, people feel safe. It’s been an honor to be the sheriff and I’ve had a lot of support over the years and it’s been a true pleasure. I will miss it.”
Emmet County Undersheriff Matt Leirstein has announced his campaign for sheriff, and Wallin is endorsing Leirstein for the position.
“He’s got my full support and endorsement,” Wallin said. “When I’m not here, he’s sheriff. He knows what to do. He’ll do a good job.”
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin announces retirement
