HEADING INTO RETIREMENT Antrim County sheriff reflects on 42-year career
Sep. 10—BELLAIRE — Surrounded by an office full of memorabilia and photographs from 42 years in law enforcement, Antrim County Sheriff Daniel Bean said he was ready to retire.
And so he did.
His last day in office was Friday.
Longtime undersheriff and Bean's close friend, Kevin Hoch, is now the sheriff. He was officially sworn in Wednesday night. George Lasater is the new undersheriff.
When Bean was a child, he remembers looking up to policemen, but he didn't think about following in their footsteps until he got to college.
After graduating with his associate degree from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Bean was offered a two-year extension to become a police officer. He took it.
Before coming to the Antrim County Sheriff's Office, Bean worked for the East Jordan Police Department for a few months in 1981 and then worked for the Mancelona Police Department for four years until he became a deputy.
Back then, he remembers asking the then-sheriff of Antrim County for a job in his department a few times a week until he finally joined the department.
Bean started his career in dispatch and corrections for the county in 1985 before becoming a road patrol deputy later that year. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming undersheriff after less than 10 years. He held that post for 16 years.
He made the decision to run for sheriff in 2008; he won and kept the job ever since.
"It's one of those things. I always wanted to work for a county somewhere, I've always been asked why I didn't go to Michigan State Police or go into something else, and I really didn't want to go anywhere else," Bean said. "I liked the county — we've been coming up here since I was probably 6 years old, and I just truly loved this area."
For Bean, his career was never just a job. It's been a calling.
"I think law enforcement finds you," he said. "It's that type of thing you get devoted to."
There were two cases in particular that stuck with him: A double homicide of a husband and wife in Kewadin, Mich., 20 years ago, and the fatal death of a mother and child in a trailer fire. The memory of that woman holding her baby after the fire is still vivid in his mind.
He said what stood out to him the most about those cases was "the senselessness of it."
"The part that really gets to you, I guess, is she had her kid wrapped up in her arms," he remembered, tearing up as he spoke about it. "That's what really gets to you the most."
One of the biggest challenges during Bean's time as sheriff was Torch Fest. Every year on Fourth of July, hundreds of boaters come to Torch Lake where they party and drink the day away.
Bean attributes implementing a zero-tolerance policy to getting the event under control and reducing the numbers as far as underage drinking. This year, he said they had the "best year yet" on the sandbar.
Heading into retirement, he said he'll miss the camaraderie in the department the most, along with Undersheriff Hoch.
"I'm ready to go," he said. "I have not looked back since I decided."
As for the future of the department, Bean said he has the utmost confidence in Hoch as the new sheriff.
"He's been a sergeant for quite awhile and he's done a great job as undersheriff. I just think that people are going to enjoy having him as sheriff also."
Hoch was approved for the post in August in a 2-1 vote by the selection committee: Probate and Family Court Judge Norm Hayes and county Clerk Sheryl Guy voted for him; Prosecuting Attorney James Rossiter chose Otsego County Undersheriff Matthew Muladore.
Hoch called Bean a great mentor and said he's excited about this next step in his career.
"It's going to be hard to see him leave," Hoch said. "He's been a great guy. He's been a great friend; great boss."
