Detective happy in Mount Pleasant

Jeff Pickler is happy to be CMU Police’s only on-staff detective.

Pickler does not believe CMU needs another detective, he said; his work load does not warrant it.

Working at Central since 1973, Pickler said he has been the sole detective for 16 years. He spends most of his day talking to people and reviewing every police report from the previous day. He also supervises the day shift.

“I spend a lot of time in the office, on the phone,” he said. “I have to interview a lot of people.”

Pickler said he does not feel overworked because he enjoys staying busy.

“I believe you work better when you are able to manage your time between a couple of different things,” he said.

He said he enjoys the campus.

“I think CMU is a wonderful place to work. There’s a lot of good people here.”

He not only investigates crimes but tries to improve safety awareness.

“We need to be better educated,” he said. “Through the police department, we try to get the message out to people.”

Common sense is one of the most important things people can do to prevent theft, he said. People should lock their doors and not leave items unattended.

“There are people who will take advantage if you leave your books on a table and walk away.”

Theft is the most common crime on campus, but he also investigates sexual assaults, violent or serious crimes and any other complicated cases because the road officers don’t have time for lengthy investigations, he said.

CMU Police investigated 1,323 cases last year. This number includes criminal and non-criminal cases. The police department does not keep a log of how many cases are closed, Pickler said.

Before coming to CMU, he was a police dispatcher for the City of Fraser.

“You have to start somewhere, and the job at Fraser seemed like a step in the right direction,” Pickler said.

Police work was a dream for most of his life.

“I wanted the opportunity to help people.”

Pickler is married with two children, a 13-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter. Both attend Mount Pleasant public schools. His wife works at CMU in the scholarships and financial aid office.

Until this past summer, his favorite pastime was biking. In August, Pickler fell from his bicycle and landed on his right elbow. He is in physical therapy, and had surgery to repair the damage that resulted from the fall.

“I’m not so sure if I’ll be riding my bike a lot anymore,” he said.

Pickler said he stays busy camping and pursuing his interest in photography.

“We love to go camping, take a digital camera and all the computer equipment and printer. Then we can print out the pictures we’ve taken the day we take them,” he said.

Pickler earned an associate’s degree in the police cadet program at Macomb Community College.

A proud moment in his career was receiving acknowledgment for helping solve a Mount Pleasant homicide case.

He was part of a task force composed of city, county, state and university police and detectives which investigated the murder of a young man.

“I was in the right place at the right time to get some information that helped solve the crime,” Pickler said. “It was definitely a team effort.”

His favorite part of the job is the people he works with.

“(My job) gives me exposure to people in the university community. We have a great campus, comprised of students and faculty. Sometimes that is overlooked,” he said. “People come to us to solve their problems. We’re here to help them.”