For the first time in Clawson, a woman is taking on the role as police chief
CLAWSON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Clawson has a new police chief. For the first time in the city's history, a woman is taking on the role.
For Kellie Bauss, becoming chief was a dream that is now a reality.
"I've wanted to be a police officer since I was a little girl. Really as long as I can remember. I don't think I ever wanted to do anything else," said Bauss.
Law enforcement has always been the path for Bauss.
"I have an uncle and a cousin who work for the secret service, and I was always just fascinated with their stories growing up. Really just having a D.A.R.E. officer in elementary school in the community I grew up in, which is Eastpointe. It really just had an impact on me," Bauss said.
In 2004, Bauss graduated from the Macomb Police Academy, landing her first policing gig in Clawson.
"This (community) has always really been my home, my home away from home, the place that's my comfort zone, and it's really because the community is so supportive of each other, the police department. It really makes it a warm place to be," said Bauss.
Over the years, she's served as a patrol and school liaison officer and worked in the detective bureau as a supervisor. It's all led up to the top spot as chief.
"Definitely always been a goal of mine. Always something I was striving for, so the opportunity came, and I jumped at it,' Bauss stated.
On May 17, 2023, Bauss was sworn in, making her the first female police chief of Clawson.
"I'm really just very excited and hoping to be a role model for other women in this field or really just women in the community in general. I didn't have a lot of female role models in the law enforcement field as I was going through the ranks, so I'm just really hoping that I can be that for them," Bauss said.
The chief is ready to roll out two new programs, including a virtual neighborhood watch.
"What that will entail is just allowing homeowners and business owners to register their surveillance systems with the police department. That gives us the opportunity to just know where all the surveillance cameras are in the city and in the event that there's a crime and we need information quickly," Bauss said.
The second program is community engagement officers.
"It's really important, especially in a community like Clawson because we are so small. It's very tight-knit. The community is very supportive of our police department, so I wanted to take that opportunity to support them as well in some of the issues that they may have," Bauss says.
A police chief breaking the glass ceiling, eager to make a difference and humbled to call Clawson home.
"I'm very excited, really honored, and really what makes this the easiest is having a really dedicated police force. Every man and woman who works for this community truly is passionate about what they do, passionate about Clawson, compassionate in dealing with people, and really care about the overall wellbeing of the community, so I feel like I'm really just honored to just be able to have a great crew to work with," said Bauss.