Grosse Pointe Shores’ Officer of the Year known for strong leadership and work ethic

GROSSE POINTE SHORES — He’s only been with the Grosse Pointe Shores Public Safety Department for a little more than two years, but in that time, officer Jeffrey Roybal has proven to be one of the best members of the force.

Roybal was given the Shores’ prestigious Directors Award — also known as the Officer of the Year Award — for his service in 2021. He was presented with this honor during an April 19 Shores City Council meeting.

Public Safety Director Kenneth Werenski said Roybal has a “strong EMS background” and is “someone who comes to the table with a solution to the problem.”

“Ever since he’s been here, ‘leadership’ is the word we associate with Jeff,” Werenski said.

Last year, Roybal was chosen to oversee the department’s motor division, for which Werenski said Roybal attended a public safety motor school program and received 80 hours of advanced in-service training on the department’s motorcycle. It’s a responsibility that Werenski said includes overseeing the department’s motor pool and maintenance of the same, among other duties.

“He’s doing such a wonderful job being in that position,” Werenski said.

In addition, Werenski said department supervisors selected Roybal to become a field training officer, which finds him mentoring new officers and for which he needed to have special training.

“At the end of the day, they get a great start with Jeff,” Werenski said of the department’s new recruits.

Roybal also was chosen to become a member of the newly formed Grosse Pointe/Harper Woods Crisis Intervention Team; team members are called to respond to incidents in the six communities involving someone with a mental health condition so that the person can be evaluated and receive appropriate care.

Werenski called Roybal “an asset to the department.”

“He is really a good guy, a good dad, a good son and a good friend,” Werenski said.

Roybal, who studied at Ferris State University, is a veteran who spent eight to nine years in the military. He served as an engineer for the United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom and worked as a paramedic for the Detroit Fire Department from 2014 to 2019 before he came to the Shores.

He and his wife, Danielle, are the parents of daughters Sophia and Isabella.

Roybal said he was “pretty excited” when he learned he had been chosen for the department’s highest honor.

“He’s definitely dedicated to his work,” said Danielle Roybal. “He’s a very amazing person.”