Coffee, Cribbage and Community: Sgt. Paulson Looks Back on Cedar Springs Role

When Sgt. Jon Paulson thinks back on his time serving Cedar Springs, he doesn't point first to arrests, calls for service or statistics.

He talks about coffee with business owners, conversations with residents, children at daycare centers, seniors at retirement communities and a cribbage game at The Brook with a resident named Jim.

For Paulson, those moments became the foundation of his role as the Kent County Sheriff’s Office sergeant assigned to Cedar Springs. It's a role he shaped around community engagement, visibility and trust.

Now, as Paulson prepares to move into a new position within the sheriff’s office, one of the programs he helped create will take center stage August 29, when deputies trade their patrol boots for soccer cleats during the Kick It Forward charity soccer game against Cedar Springs athletes.

The event reflects much of what Paulson has worked to build over the past two years: a sheriff’s office presence that feels local, familiar and approachable.

Paulson’s relationship with Cedar Springs began long before he became the area sergeant. In 2008, while living in Cedar Springs and working as a civilian dispatcher for the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, he approached then-Cedar Springs Police Chief Roger Parent to ask if there might be a way to get involved in law enforcement, even as a volunteer.

That conversation led to a reserve officer position with the Cedar Springs Police Department. He graduated from the police academy in 2010 and was hired full time by the sheriff’s office in 2012.

Even after leaving the city police department, Cedar Springs remained part of his story.

“When this current position came available, I thought, ‘Man, this would be perfect for me,’” Paulson said. “I was still living in Cedar, and I love Cedar and enjoyed my time as a police officer there. That’s where my roots started.”

When Paulson stepped into the Cedar Springs sergeant role about two years ago, he said there was no detailed playbook waiting for him. His predecessor told him to attend council meetings, be present at downtown events and then handed over the keys to his cruiser.

That lack of structure gave Paulson room to define the position himself.

“It was nice because it was a blank slate for me,” he said.

At the time, Paulson wanted to make sure the transition to sheriff’s office policing did not make residents feel disconnected from the officers serving them. His goal was to maintain the feel of a small, local police department while using the resources of the sheriff’s office.

That meant getting deputies out of their patrol cars and into the community in everyday settings.

Coffee with a Cop became one of the first ways to do that. From there, the outreach grew to regular visits and presentations at places such as The Brook, Village Learning Center and Green Acres. Every other month, Cedar Springs Parks and Recreation also brought participants to the sheriff’s office north substation for presentations and conversations with deputies.

The presentations gave residents a chance to learn more about policing, but Paulson said the real value came from the conversations that followed. Eventually, he moved away from prepared topics and simply opened the floor for questions.

“It was just fun to sit down with the community and blend right in,” he said. “I felt very welcomed by this community.”

Some residents questions were serious. Others gave Paulson and residents a chance to laugh together, including one of the most common: "What is your threshold for pulling over speeders?" Paulson shared with a laugh.

He was also intentional about making sure community policing wasn't centered only on him. As sergeant, Paulson works with two day-shift deputies and two night-shift deputies assigned to Cedar Springs, and he includes them in outreach events whenever possible.

“It’s not just me with the public,” Paulson said. “It’s me and the deputies who patrol the town.”

That visibility, he said, helps residents understand that the deputies serving Cedar Springs are people they can approach, not just names or uniforms they encounter during emergencies.

City Manager Darla Falcon said that connection was evident in Paulson’s work with both city events and residents.

“Working with Sgt. Paulson was truly a pleasure,” Falcon said. “He quickly grasped the nuances of managing all the city events, showing dedication and insight.”

Falcon said Paulson also genuinely connected with the community, “from children at daycare centers to seniors at nursing homes,” and wished him well as he moves forward with the Kent County Sheriff’s Department.

While larger programs often drew the most people, some of Paulson’s most meaningful memories came from quieter visits to retirement communities.

Residents there taught him how to play cribbage, a game he had never played before. Before long, some were calling to invite him over for a game.

“There’s a guy named Jim that I’d go meet with at The Brook,” Paulson said. “If I had free time, I’d go play a couple games of cribbage with him.”

Those smaller friendships, he said, are what he will miss most.

That is also what he hopes continues after he leaves. As the sheriff’s office interviews candidates to replace him, Paulson said he plans to make sure the next sergeant understands that those monthly connections are now part of the job.

“These are the things you do every month now,” Paulson said. “These are the things that are in place, and they are going to expect you to continue to show up for them.”

One of the newer outreach efforts is the Kick It Forward charity soccer game, an idea that came from Paulson’s lifelong love of soccer.

After a knee injury and surgery forced him away from playing for a time, Paulson eventually returned to the sport near the end of a season. That sparked the idea of organizing a game against the local varsity team and turning it into a fundraiser.

The event also fits into an area Paulson would like to see grow. While Cedar Springs has outreach geared toward young children and seniors, he said he would like to see more opportunities for teenagers, families and middle-aged residents.

The timing of his career move, Paulson said, feels right. While a community policing position opened about a year ago, Paulson felt there was more to establish in Cedar Springs.

Now, he believes the next sergeant will have something solid to build on.

“This position showed me there is a whole other side of policing and law enforcement that is very important, and I enjoy it,” Paulson said.

When describing Cedar Springs, Paulson said the phrase “tight-knit community” may be common, but in this case, it fits.

"Residents pay attention to what is happening and people know each other. The business owners, city leaders and families are invested in the town’s future," Paulson said. And as Cedar Springs continues to grow, Paulson said that shared sense of ownership continues to be important.

And as he prepares for his next role, his message to residents is just as straightforward.

“I would just say to cherish what you have here in Cedar Springs,” Paulson said. “Recognize the good town that it is. It’s a growing town and a beautiful town. Let’s all work together to keep it that way.”

The Kick It Forward soccer match and community event will be a fundraiser, but it also serves as a reflection of the community connection Paulson has built in Cedar Springs. Those connections have grown in coffee shops, council meetings, and in everyday conversations across Cedar Springs.

If you happen to see Sgt. Paulson in the coming weeks, take a moment to say hello and wish him well in his next chapter.