There will be one less familiar face at Grand Blanc West Middle School this year, now that Resource Officer Dan Wolschleger, affectionately known as “Officer Dan,” has retired. But his legacy will live on through programs in which he was active and he will remain a major player in the Genesee County community.
After 27 years of service, Wolschleger officially retired from the Grand Blanc Township Police Department on July 30 of this year. “I started the job on July 10, 1997,” he stated.
Unlike many who follow in their father’s or an uncle’s footsteps, Wolschleger had no immediate family members in law enforcement.
In 2017, Dan Wolschleger and Lt. John Schwartz co-founded ALLIED Defense, which specializes in providing active shooter training, security and threat assessment, consulting and CPR training.
“It’s a funny story, actually,” he said. “When I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I followed my brother to Oakland University and studied business and accounting. After two years, I realized that was not for me. I took a test at OU to determine the career choice that best suited my interests. The military was number one, law enforcement was second and firefighter was third. I chose law enforcement and never looked back.”
For 17 years, Wolschleger worked at Grand Blanc West Middle School with approximately 800 to 900 students in grades 6-8. “It is a very tough age; you can see when students are starting down the wrong path,” he explained. “You only have a few years to try and get them back on the right path and there is so much growth in those three years from elementary to high school.”
Wolschleger said his biggest accomplishment at Grand Blanc West Middle School was being a part of the West Male Mentor Group. Started by Mary Kennedy-Jacob, an 8th grade teacher at the school, the group is for boys who have no father figure in their lives.
“It was so rewarding to spend more time with the boys and really get to know them and try to be a positive role model in their lives,” he shared. “It’s been going for 17 years now, and we have former students coming back as men to mentor boys like they, themselves, were mentored all those years ago. The mentor group is one of my proudest achievements as a school resource officer.”
Now that he is retired, Wolschleger plans to put more time and energy into his business, ALLIED Defense, which he co-owns with GBTPD Lt. Jon Swartz. “Jon and I were school resource officers for Grand Blanc Schools for nine years together,” he said. “We were able to take advantage of several training courses and become certified to teach active shooter drills for the schools. We also taught CPR, first-aid and Stop the Bleed® training. Our department then started to receive calls from local businesses, churches and daycare facilities also wanting active shooter training. The chief at the time then allowed us to train anyone in the Grand Blanc area. We have been lucky to have the ongoing support of Chief Bill Renye to continue serving the Grand Blanc community.”
Wolschleger and Swartz then realized a great need to share this valuable training with others outside of Grand Blanc. “This began our mission to start our own company seven years ago,” he continued. “Through ALLIED Defense, we are able to reach out to those schools, churches, businesses and daycares that do not have local resources for the training.” ALLIED Defense specializes in active shooter training, security and threat assessment, consulting and CPR training. “Our company continues to expand, and we have been fortunate enough to travel throughout the U.S. and even Canada offering this specialized training. We have received many great reviews and pride ourselves on knowing that we leave people feeling more prepared and ready if the unthinkable were to happen.”
After two years at Oakland University, Wolschleger then transferred to Saginaw Valley State University, where he graduated with a criminal justice major, sociology minor.
“I worked at Grand Blanc Township for over half of my life, but it went by so fast! I look forward to spending more time with my family and traveling.”
Dan Wolschleger
“My wife JaNiece and I met and dated in high school,” he shared. “We celebrated 20 years of marriage this year. She has been very supportive throughout my career and also decided that working in education was her way of giving back to the community.”
The couple are parents of three teenagers, one in college and two in high school. “They are all great kids who we hope to have instilled our family values of faith and service to others,” he said.
For those new to law enforcement, Wolschleger has a wealth of advice. “Find an area of police work you’re really passionate about and find as much training to be the best police officer with that particular skill set,” he states. “After I started working in the schools, I became passionate about school safety, which led to Lt. Swartz and I starting our own business. Don’t lose sight of why you went into the profession and remember to see the good in people. Working in the schools gave me a unique perspective on the struggles many families face. Having compassion and patience in this field is important.
“I worked with a lot of dedicated and loyal police officers in my 27-year career and tried to learn as much as I could from each of them to become a better police officer,” he said. “I also worked with many talented, hard-working people in education who taught me a lot about the school dynamic and working with families.”
Wolschleger says he will miss working with the officers at Grand Blanc Township PD and the staff at Grand Blanc Schools. “Both have become a huge part of our family, and we will continue to cherish those friendships and memories,” he adds. “I worked at Grand Blanc Township for over half of my life, but it went by so fast! I look forward to spending more time with my family and traveling. Our children are growing up quickly and we want to enjoy this time with them. Starting this new chapter is a blessing that my family and I feel very fortunate to have achieved.”
GBTPD Chief William Renye has worked with Wolschleger for a little over 23 years and has been the chief since November 2022.
“Officer Wolschleger was a very valuable member of our department and the Grand Blanc Community,” stated Renye. “When I first met Dan in 2001, he was one of the department’s field training officers (FTO). FTOs are responsible for training staff and creating a positive workplace culture. The GBTPD has always held our FTOs in high regard as true leaders of the department. He was a staple at the West Campus as he worked as an SRO for 17 years building positive relationships with school staff and students. He was dedicated to protecting and serving all of those he encountered.”
Chief Renye said that in 2023, Wolschleger organized and coordinated an active shooter drill at the Grand Blanc West Middle School. This was done after school hours to test law enforcement response, student and teacher response, parent response and the reunification efforts if an event of this magnitude were to unfortunately occur.
“I was simply amazed with Officer Wolschleger’s leadership in taking on such a large task as I heard him speaking on stage to a room filled with hundreds of people,” Renye said. “There was even a City of Flint officer in attendance as his child attends the West Campus. The City of Flint officer was very impressed with how well trained the department is and with Officer Wolschleger’s efforts in coordinating the drill.
“School Resource Officers are very important. Over the past decade, law enforcement has received some negative media attention that has caused a lack of trust in officers with some community members. School Resource Officers are not only tasked with keeping the staff and children safe, but they also serve as mentors to our children.” Renye adds that an excellent SRO, such as Officer Wolschleger, can change a negative perception of law enforcement into a positive one with our future generations realizing that police are there to help.
“Law Enforcement is a tough profession as we see so many critical incidents throughout our careers,’ Renye shared. “Add to that long shifts, working weekends, holidays and nights – it takes a strong family to support an officer. I cannot thank Officer Wolschleger’s entire family enough, especially his wife JaNiece, for her support and understanding as he sacrificed a lot of his family time to be dedicated to our department and community. Dan was everything we look for in a Grand Blanc Township officer, exhibiting our core values day in and day out. Everyone at the Department wishes him and his family a happy retirement.”
