KENT COUNTY, Mich — She made history as the first female sheriff in Kent County. Now, Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young is ready to retire.
LaJoye-Young, who spent 37 years with the department in a number of roles, will serve her final day on Friday, October 9th.
LaJoye-Young sat down with FOX 17's Janice Allen to reflect on her time in law enforcement, and what's next.
"It's been a wonderful career," LaJoye-Young said. "It's been such an honor to serve in this community, in that capacity, and probably most importantly with the people that I have served with shoulder to shoulder all these years. I have been completely inspired by them all."
The longtime leader will continue to be invested in Kent County and says she will be "watching closely" the results of the 2026 Corrections and Detentions Millage.
LaJoye-Young touts the renewal as an important way to increase funding to cover the growing cost of healthcare and psychological care in the Kent County Correctional Facility.
"It's such an important part of what we do now. Helping them be successful keeps us all safer. They're a lot less likely to offend again... we want to do everything we can to make that person productive and healthy, and prevent crime from happening in our neighborhoods. So, this millage helps us do that."
According to Kent County, the millage generated approximately $24.0 million in Fiscal Year 2025. For a homeowner with a taxable value of $100,000, the millage equates to an annual cost of $74.17, based on the 2025 millage rate of 0.7417 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Looking back on her career, LaJoye-Young said she is most proud of her staff.
"The way that they act as guardians in our community, the way that they perform, I could not be more proud to have worked with them shoulder to shoulder," she explained.
As for what's next, LaJoye-Young is looking forward to spending more time with family and enjoying a long vacation in her RV.
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