Sgt. Matthew Clemence received a Certificate of Merit from the Canton Police Department at its July 30 Awards and Citations Ceremony.
The award was presented for his response to a crime that occurred on Jan. 25, 2018. At that time, a subject entered a bank in Canton Township with the intent to rob it. The rapid police response caused the suspect to barricade himself inside the bank and take three hostages.
Clemence, a member of the Western Wayne County Hostage Negotiation Team, responded to the scene. After several hours of negotiations with members of the Western-Wayne Special Operations and Hostage Negotiation teams along with FBI agents, the suspect released all three hostages. A short time later, the suspect was taken into custody and the incident ended peacefully.
“I am honored that Canton Public Safety recognized the team for this incident. These events are not very common and we train monthly to be prepared. I am pleased with the way our team responded to this negotiation,” said Clemence.
“Sgt. Clemence did an outstanding job and is truly deserving of this award,” said City of Northville Police Chief Alan Maciag.