The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced the selection of Special Investigator Phillip Seguin, of the Alpena County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office as the recipient of its Officer of the Month Award for April 2014.
Phillip Seguin began his law enforcement career with the Montgomery (Ala.) Police Department in 1974. After one year, he returned to his hometown of Alpena, MI, where he served for 10 years as a deputy sheriff with the Alpena County (MI) Sheriff’s Office. During that time, he worked with the K-9 unit and received the department’s Policeman of the Year Award.
In October 1985, Investigator Seguin relocated to Florida and accepted a position with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD). For the majority of his 20 years with the FLPD, he continued to work with the K-9 unit. He and his four-legged partners conducted an estimated 1,200 apprehensions, with less than 20 percent of those resulting in any injury to the perpetrator. According to the United States Police Canine Association, this is well below the national average. During his years at the FLPD, Investigator Seguin also developed a keen interest in technology used in police cruisers and became proficient in making repairs when needed.
In 2005, after 20 years of service, Investigator Seguin retired from the FLPD, hoping to spend more time with his family. Unfortunately, tragedy struck less than one year later, when on February 16, 2006, Phil Seguin’s only son, Broward County (FL) Deputy Ryan C. Seguin, was killed in a hit-and-run incident on a busy Florida highway.
To cope with their grief, Phil and his wife, Lori–herself a former law enforcement officer–created the Deputy Ryan Seguin Memorial Fund, which helps support law enforcement agencies in the northern Michigan area with equipment and training programs. To help finance that project, they also established the Deputy Ryan Seguin Memorial Golf Scramble. To date, the Golf Scramble has raised approximately $175,000 for their cause. The Deputy Ryan Seguin Memorial Fund also awards two scholarships each year to worthy individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement.
After his retirement from the FLPD, Investigator Seguin moved back to northern Michigan, where he keeps busy by using the expertise he developed in electronics to repair and upgrade the cruisers operated by the Alpena County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office. In volunteering his time and skills for this project, he has saved the department approximately $70,000 in repair costs.
In 2011, the Alpena County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office hired Investigator Seguin as a part-time special investigator, a position which is funded by the Alpena County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office. With his vast array of experience in the law enforcement profession, he was considered ideal for this position. According to Alpena County Prosecutor K. Edward Black, "With Phil, our office gains insight and intelligence which would ordinarily not be available to anyone but perhaps a federal prosecutor. The corresponding number of convictions for life and capital crime offenses by plea is a credit to his hard work.”
Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Award Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
Investigator Seguin, along with the other Officer of the Month Award winners for 2014, will be honored at a special awards luncheon in Washington, DC, in May 2015, during National Police Week. In addition, their stories of heroism and service will be featured in the Memorial Fund’s annual calendar.
