Shores Police Changed by 9/11

The 9/11 attacks may have targeted locations in Washington, D.C., and New York, but the actions of the terrorists that day had an impact all the way to St. Clair Shores.

With the city's location on an international body of water, situated between two major border crossings with Canada and a long waterfront, the role of St. Clair Shores in ensuring the border security of the United States was raised.

Now there is greater communication between the 85-officer St. Clair Shores Police Department and federal agencies.

"We have a lot more interaction with federal agencies than before 9/11," St. Clair Shores Deputy Police Chief Glenn Bowlin said. "Now we work in cooperation with them."

Bowlin said the city shares information with agencies including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

"They are more open into sharing ... they are a good source of information," Bowlin said.

And with the hundreds of boat slips in the marina along Lake St. Clair, the federal agencies have assisted in patrolling the waterways.

While the Shores has benefited from having the additional patrols in the city, officers also have access to the Operations Integration Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The $30 million center allows multiple agencies to share information and monitor radar to track people and boats on the waterways.

"There is not a day that goes by I don't get an email (from a federal agency)," Bowlin said. "There is a lot more information sharing, working more partnerships with the federal government ... it has helped."