Birmingham Police Department

Clemence, 52, is the new police chief of Birmingham, and for him it’s a dream job come true. He grew up in Southfield and graduated from Groves High School. He was pursuing a degree in marketing at Michigan State University when he switched gears to criminal justice.

Birmingham hired Clemence in 1985, and he steadily worked his way up the ladder from patrol and investigations, to division commander and chief. In 2007, he attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

“As chief, I take a lot of pride in how we are perceived by the community,” he said. “I think there are some expectations on what a Birmingham police officer should be like and I want to make sure those expectations are met. Right now, we have a large group of younger officers and I want to make sure under my watch that they understand what it means to be a Birmingham police officer. I want things done the Birmingham way, which to me means everything is done with professionalism and honesty and integrity in mind.”

Clemence grew up watching “Adam-12” and was the first in his family to become a police officer. It didn’t last long: his younger brother, Matt, is a 20-year veteran with the city of Northville, while his oldest son, JD, was just hired by the Auburn Hills Police Department.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Clemence said of his son. “You need good people in this job and here’s a young man, 23 years old, a college graduate who’s logical and intelligent and a good person — and he wants to help out others.”

His daughter, Samantha, is a registered nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in Pontiac, while his youngest son, Ben, attends Saginaw Valley State. Clemence said he and his wife Alison are very proud of their three children, and that all three played college sports.

As for role models, he looks toward his parents.

“Dad was in sales and mom worked in the Birmingham schools for years as the secretary for the deputy superintendent,” he said. “They’ve always been supportive of me ... and the fact I got to be chief really makes them proud. They couldn’t be happier for me.”