On Aug. 29, members of the Rotary Club of Pinconning and Standish heard a presentation by Bill Federspiel, Sheriff of Saginaw County for the last 16 years, on two topics—his role as sheriff of one of the state’s largest counties, and his role as lead singer of a successful rock band called Shake Down.

The sheriff traveled to the Rotary meeting in a 1981 Camaro decked out as an official sheriff’s department vehicle. The vehicle was seized as part of the arrest of a drug dealer in Saginaw. Since becoming sheriff, Federspiel said it has been his practice to use autos [Camaros, Cadillacs, and Mustangs] seized from drug dealers as a way of forcing criminals to give something back to Saginaw taxpayers. The vehicles have all been official county vehicles, used only for official business.

Bill Federspiel was born in the late 1960s and grew up on Saginaw’s east side. His family later moved to the west side where he graduated from Nouvel Catholic High School. At the age of 19, he moved to southern Florida hoping to start a career in law enforcement.

He was hired by the Cape Coral police department where he spent 10 years. After proposing to his wife on a beach in Florida, he returned to Michigan to continue his law enforcement career.

In 1998, he was elected sheriff of Saginaw County, a position he has held for 16 years. He stated he loves working for the 200,000 residents of the county, an area of 810 square miles, with 27 townships, 3 cities, and several villages. He added that being sheriff is a much better job (for instance) than being a city police chief, since the sheriff reports to the people every four years (when running for re-election), rather than reporting to city council members every day.

The sheriff provided information on his success in constructing a new $38 million, 511-bed jail in Saginaw without having to raise taxes. This was accomplished through the gradual attrition of employees and financing through a 30-year bond.

Rather than having large cells that hold many inmates, the new jail is comprised of self-contained pods (cells), holding one to four inmates, making the facility much safer for both inmates and staff.

It also provides the department with the opportunity to house juvenile offenders, who must be housed separately, and allows the housing of offenders from other counties. The U.S. Marshall Service also houses offenders there.

A story about Saginaw’s success appeared in the International Jail Magazine which has resulted in inquiries from as far away as Guam on how they might replicate Saginaw’s success. The new jail is now four years old and is working well, Federspiel said.

On a personal level, the Sheriff said he tries to be accessible to all communities and cultures in the county. How you treat people, he said, matters, adding that you should assume every person you encounter is your grandmother, and treat that person accordingly—until and unless they prove otherwise.

He then discussed his second career as leader of a rock band. The band is called Shake Down and is scheduled to appear at the Pinconning Bandshell on Tuesday, Sept. 10, the season’s final concert, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the bandshell and the 20th anniversary of the Arts Council’s “Tuesdays in the Park” series.

Federspiel went on to say his musical career has been satisfying and unexpected, especially since he was very quiet and shy when he was younger.

The Sheriff began doing concerts about three years ago. He concentrates on presenting the music of Kenny Rogers, Tom Jones, and Bob Seger. The concert in Pinconning will focus on Bob Seger.

Many of his concerts have been done on behalf of charitable organizations, raising over $200,000 in the last two years alone.