New South Lyon Police Chief Bonnie Unruh is used to people pointing out that she’s the first female police chief that the city’s ever had. But she’s hopeful that more will be following her in the future.

“It’s not common,” she acknowledged. “There’s probably a lot of places I would go where I would be the first female. But it’s getting there – there are more females coming up the ranks.”

Unruh has been in law enforcement most of her life. She grew up in southeast Michigan, mainly in Southfield, before moving to Livonia after her older siblings moved out and her parents wanted to downsize.

Her introduction to law enforcement as a career came when she earned her way into a special internship program for students who had a grade point average of 3.8 or higher. The Livonia Police Department was one of the places where she could go, so she went to her counselor and let her know of her wishes.

The reaction she got wasn’t exactly encouraging.

“She told me, ‘Oh honey, why don’t you just leave that to the boys,’” Unruh said. “She wanted me to go into hotel management, but once she told me I couldn’t do something, that was it.”

So began her journey – first as a police reserve in Livonia, then as a police cadet in Farmington Hills, where she worked her way through the ranks to assistant chief before retiring after 32 years of service.

Following that, she worked for Concordia University’s Ann Arbor campus as the assistant director of campus safety, and she also worked for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office in its Marine Division, which was a seasonal position.

“I liked it,” she said. “I had a good boss over there, and most of the people we dealt with would be in good moods because they were on their boats.”

After a few years of doing dual duty between the university and Washtenaw County, Unruh became aware of the chief’s opening in South Lyon, and the posting intrigued her.

“It was like everything that was listed (in the job description), they wrote for me,” she said.

But before she took the position, Unruh wanted to check out the community, where she had been before but had not really taken the time to examine too closely. She was immediately struck by the family atmosphere and historical feel of the area.

“I came here and just drove around, and there were so many families out together riding bikes and walking on the sidewalk, and there’s a vibrant downtown area,” Unruh said. “It’s a hidden gem that’s sitting right here in Oakland County.”

And the community has been welcoming since she became chief in August.

“People that see me out and about come up and introduce themselves,” she said.

Unruh’s affinity for public service extends to her family as well. Her husband of 32 years is the fire chief in Farmington Hills. They have three children – a daughter who’s a fire lieutenant for the Wayne County Airport Fire Department, a son who’s a firefighter paramedic in Livonia and another daughter who’s studying at Eastern Michigan University to become an elementary school teacher. She also has a daughter-in-law who’s a nurse for Trinity Health.

As for how she feels about serving as the new chief in South Lyon, it’s been all positive so far.

“I’m very happy to be here,” she said. “I think it’s a good fit.”