After serving the City of South Lyon for over two decades, Police Chief Lloyd Collins will soon be retiring.

Collins recently announced his plans and told WHMI that it “works out economically” for him to retire at this time. He also noted that he’s had “a pretty good career”, with over 50 years spent in law enforcement with three separate agencies. Collins first worked with the Oakland University Department of Public Safety, before moving on to the Southfield Police Department, where he worked for almost 26 years. He then came to South Lyon, which he will have served for approximately 21 and a half years by the time he leaves.

When asked about his favorite memories as South Lyon’s Police Chief, Collins says there’s too many to list, but that he did enjoy leading the city’s parades. This year’s Cool Yule parade, set to be held this Saturday, will be the 64th parade in total that he’s led as the city’s police chief. While he says some may think it’s because the police chief wants to be at the head of the parade, it’s more about the privilege of looking out for others’ safety. Collins says the city’s parades need to have a police car at the front of the lineup to protect the rest of the parade’s participants. He feels that role of protector is an honor.

Collins’ retirement will be effective February 1st. While he plans to “dial it back”, he won’t be leaving the workforce or a busy life behind any time soon. Collins is in consideration for a federal investigator position and plans to continue his consulting work with a firm called EMPCO. He notes that his four grandchildren that live in the area will also get a significant chunk of his time. Collins’ successor is expected to be in place before the chief moves on. (DK)