With a Honda Gold Wing in the garage and more than 30 years of policing for Oakland County Sheriff’s Office under his belt, Deputy John Graham is ready to retire.
Sort of.
Although he’ll no longer be patrolling the streets of Independence Township, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts are still likely to spot Graham keeping watch over Oakland County lakes in the summers ahead.
As a longtime member of the Sheriff’s Marine Division, diving isn’t something he’s ready to give up.
‘There probably has to be something wrong with you to want to dive around in water you can’t see in,? he said with a grin. ‘There’s not a long list of people that want to do it.?
But as part of the close-knit, highly trained 12-member Sheriff’s Marine Patrol and Water Rescue’Unit, Graham wants to be available when he’s needed.
Graham first joined the team in 1977 on the recommendation of his father, who also worked for the Marine Division.
‘He said ‘you ought to try this Marine Division, you might like it,?? Graham said. ? So I did it one summer and loved it.?
The following year, the Sheriff’s office offered him a full-time position, complete with a $6,000 pay cut from his job at General Motors. He jumped at the chance.
‘You’re out on the lake, meeting people, making it safe, and helping the community,? he said. ‘All that clich? stuff, but it was all true.?
During his tenure with the sheriff’s office, Graham also worked with the Honor Guard, the Tactical Mobile Unit, alcohol enforcement and as an Explorer advisor.
Explorers, he explained, are a group of young people coordinated by the Boy Scouts of America and interested in learning, in this case, about police work.
In 1987 Graham took a group of Explorers to Boston, and in 1990 another group to Colorado.
A few years ago, while having lunch with his wife, he spotted a group of Waterford Police officers.
‘One of them says, aren’t you John Graham? Remember me??
Graham didn’t remember, not until he heard the name.
‘He said ? I’m Gil Decker, I went to Colorado in your Explorer group,? Graham said. ‘Here he is a grown guy working for Waterford. That really tickled me.?
Graham is also a member of the Pistol Team’a group who shoot handguns competitively at a national level.
‘We go all over the country and shoot,? said Graham, who’s currently vice-president of the team. ‘I won a gun at the national level the first year I went out and haven’t won jack since but that’s OK, I just do it for the fun.?
Among his more memorable diving deployments, Graham cites an incident where a man jumped out of a boat on Cass Lake, and was never found.
‘In my 30 years that was the only person we looked for and we didn’t find,? Graham said. ‘That one kind of sticks in your craw a little bit. We looked for a long, long time, probably a month or so.?
Although, ideally, the divers go out on rescue missions, more often than not it turns into a search and recover operation.
‘If you could save just one person that would make it for me,? he said. ‘We’ve come close a lot’but personally nobody I got out the water lived’that’s the one thing I wish I had done.?
Over the last five years, Graham has been patrolling the streets of Independence Township in addition to his dive duties.
On June 15, he hung up his hat at the substation and told the guys he’d be back to say hello from time to time.
‘I had a little medical issue made me kind of realize that I’m mortal,? he said. ‘I gotta have some time off to enjoy life.?
Around the substation, though, he’ll be missed.
‘He’s one of those guys you can always rely on to do things right,? said Lt. Dale LaBair, commander of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation. ‘Some of the younger guys, you send them into something and you tend to worry.?
Graham is very dedicated to the department and the community at large, LaBair said, noting Graham often gets involved in charity events and fundraisers.
LaBair called Graham ‘a nice guy, a good friend, and a good policeman.?
? John has a good common sense approach, and that’s going to be missed’that well-learned, down to earth approach that works so well. I hate to lose a veteran like that. He’ll be hard to replace.?