Colon police chief retiring

A longtime fixture at the Colon Police Department is retiring.

Chief Mark Brinkert, who joined the agency in 1993, is helping with the task of finding his replacement.

Brinkert, who graduated from the Kalamazoo Regional Recruit Academy in 1984, has previously worked for police departments in Vicksburg and Schoolcraft, and in 1982 he was named Benton Harbor Police Department’s “Officer of the Year.’

Brinkert has served as chief of the 1,100-resident community since 2005.

According to a posting by the village, Brinkert’s successor will make between $32 and $37 an hour, contingent on experience and qualifications.