Undersheriff Wilson seeks appointment as sheriff

Mason County Undersheriff Derrek Wilson

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — Mason County Undersheriff Derrek Wilson said becoming sheriff was never part of his original career plan. But after more than two decades with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, including eight years as undersheriff, Wilson said he wants to continue the direction of an agency he has helped lead alongside Sheriff Kim Cole.

Wilson is seeking appointment as Mason County sheriff following Cole’s announcement that he plans to retire effective Nov. 1. Cole has endorsed Wilson as his successor.

A three-member committee consisting of Mason County Probate Judge Jeffrey Nellis, County Clerk Cheryl Kelly and Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand met for the first time Thursday, Sept. 24, to begin the process of selecting Cole’s replacement.

Nellis was selected chairman of the committee and Kelly was selected secretary.

According to Nellis, the position will be posted and the committee will accept applications for 30 days. The committee will then spend approximately two weeks reviewing the applications before narrowing the field to finalists, with the goal of conducting interviews in early December.

Under Michigan Election Law, when a vacancy occurs in a county office other than county clerk or prosecuting attorney, the presiding or senior probate judge, county clerk and prosecuting attorney appoint a suitable person to fill the vacancy.

Cole was re-elected to his fourth four-year term in November 2024. His current term ends in 2028. The person appointed to replace him will serve the remainder of that term and would have to seek election in 2028 to continue serving as sheriff.

Following Cole’s retirement and until the committee’s appointee takes office, Wilson will perform the duties of sheriff. Michigan law states that when a vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the undersheriff executes the office of sheriff during the vacancy.

Cole formally submitted his retirement letter this week after more than 41 years with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. He wrote that he had filed retirement paperwork with the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of Michigan about two weeks earlier. If approved, his final day as sheriff will be Friday, Oct. 30, with his retirement beginning Nov. 1. Read related story here. 

Cole, 62, was first elected sheriff in 2012 and took office in January 2013.

For Wilson, the possibility of becoming sheriff is the latest step in a career that began without that particular goal.

“It was never in my plan,” Wilson said. “I got into law enforcement because of my dad.”

Wilson’s father, Dennis Wilson, was an Oceana County sheriff’s deputy. Derrek Wilson said his father spent the last 17 years of his career as a detective. Dennis Wilson died in 2010 at age 59.

Derrek Wilson said growing up as the son of a sheriff’s deputy gave him an early understanding of county law enforcement and the role of an elected sheriff.

As his own career progressed, Wilson said his plans changed as he developed professional relationships and mentors. He was promoted to chief deputy in 2017 and became undersheriff following the retirement of Jody Hartley in 2018.

“By then, I had been there long enough to see what Sheriff Cole’s goals were, what his mission was, and I realized that that’s what I wanted to be a part of,” Wilson said. “I believed in those goals, because I believed in the mission, and I feel that it’s best for the community.”

Wilson said one of the things that attracted him to sheriff’s office law enforcement is the direct relationship between the sheriff and the voters.

“The beauty of sheriff’s offices is that they’re elected by the people,” he said. “The boss is elected by the people.”

Wilson said Michigan’s 83 county sheriffs can operate their departments differently based on the needs and expectations of their counties.

“They police their county the way the people want them to police their county,” he said. “That’s how I ended up at a sheriff’s office. That’s why I stayed in the sheriff’s office. And frankly, I want to be the sheriff because I still believe in that mission. I believe in the community.”

Wilson grew up in the Shelby area and graduated from Shelby High School in 1995. While attending West Shore Community College and planning a career in law enforcement, he began working for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division at Silver Lake State Park.

In 1999, Wilson attended a DNR law enforcement academy at Lake Superior State University, which allowed him to work as a commissioned park ranger. He later went through the West Shore Community College police academy.

Wilson eventually became a Mason County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy and later worked in the Marine Patrol Division before becoming a full-time road patrol deputy.

His responsibilities began changing significantly after Cole became sheriff in 2013. Wilson became involved with management of the department’s property room and, more significantly, development of the sheriff’s office’s school safety initiatives.

Wilson and then-fellow Sgt. Oscar Davila, now chief deputy of road patrol, traveled to Wisconsin for ALICE — Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate — school safety training. ALICE is an options-based strategy for responding to violent critical incidents.

Wilson said the training made them realize school safety involved much more than simply talking to students and school employees about what to do during an emergency.

On the return trip aboard the SS Badger, Wilson said he and Davila spent several hours discussing how to develop a more comprehensive school safety program in Mason County.

The effort eventually brought school administrators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency management personnel together to develop more consistent school safety plans throughout the county. Wilson said the work introduced him to a different side of law enforcement — one centered on long-term relationships with the community rather than responding from call to call.

The effort later expanded into training for school bus drivers and eventually into the School Resource Deputy program. Wilson said seeing younger deputies take ownership of those programs has become an important part of leadership.

He also pointed to the sheriff’s office’s ability to maintain a full staff at a time when many police agencies have struggled to recruit and retain officers.

Wilson said deputies could leave Mason County for agencies offering signing bonuses or higher wages but many choose to stay.

“I think they stay because it’s stable,” Wilson said. “I think part of the reason they stay is because I think they’re supported by the community. The majority of our community supports us, and that’s what makes this place great.”

Wilson was promoted to sergeant in 2013, chief deputy on Sept. 11, 2017, and undersheriff in 2018.

Cole’s selection of Wilson as undersheriff eight years ago was also described at the time as part of a long-term succession plan for the sheriff’s office.

When Cole announced Wilson’s appointment in June 2018, he described Wilson, Davila and Chief Deputy Kenny Vansickle as experienced officers and said “each is a natural leader.”

“Undersheriff Hartley and myself have worked hard to create a secession plan for this department that will see it run efficiently and effectively for many years to come,” Cole said at the time. “I am confident that Undersheriff Wilson, and chief deputies Davila and Vansickle will continue to serve the public with the standards we have set during my administration.”

Cole said recently that he endorses Wilson as the next sheriff.

“Serving within a sheriff’s office is difficult under normal conditions,” Cole said. “Having leadership rise from within the agency best serves the men and women wearing the uniform. This, in turn, allows the deputies to focus on the safety and security of our community and jail population.”

Wilson said that, if selected as sheriff, he would not attempt to simply duplicate Cole’s leadership.

“I’m not Kim Cole,” Wilson said. “I’ll never be Kim Cole.”

Wilson said he has learned a tremendous amount from Cole, but also from the many other officers and mentors he has encountered during his career.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Big shoes to fill.’ I’m not trying to fill shoes,” Wilson said.

Instead, Wilson said leadership of the sheriff’s office should continue evolving from one generation to the next.

“Kim’s ceiling needs to be the next generation’s floor,” Wilson said. “We always have to be on an upward trajectory in this career because if we’re not, we’re failing. Not just ourselves; we’re failing our community.”

Wilson said that philosophy is ultimately why he wants to become Mason County’s next sheriff.

“It’s important that we strive to always be the best,” he said. “That we’re always on the upward swing.”

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