Sergeant James Knittel Retires From Farmington Hills Police

Sergeant James Knittel retired from the Farmington Hills Police Department Feb. 2 after 30 years of service. Police Chief Charles Nebus was among those celebrating with Knittel during his retirement ceremony.

Knittel was sworn in as an officer with the Farmington Hills Police in 1987. During his long career with the department, Knittel served with the patrol division, the crime suppression unit, and the investigative division, where he was a detective. In 2004, Knittel was promoted to sergeant. In 2007, he was became group supervisor of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) South Oakland Narcotics Intelligence Consortium Task Force (SONIC), an area team made up of DEA special agents and police officers from Farmington Hills, Novi, West Bloomfield, and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.

Knittel earned a number of awards for police work his career, and was described as “one of the most
decorated officers in the Department’s history,” in a statement. Knittel has over 65 department awards including one Chief’s Citation, one Valorous Conduct Award from Franklin Police Department, one Merit
Citation, 10 Citations, 35 Unit Citations, six Commendations, and nine Letters of Appreciation. He
was the 2012 City of Farmington Hills Police Officer of the Year for his work with the DEA, which
included the largest heroin seizure in Michigan history.

At the retirement ceremony, Chief Nebus expressed appreciation for the sergeant’s service on behalf of the town and the police department, wishing him well in future endeavors.

Photo via City of Farmington Hills.