Bryan Muir

for Sheriff

Experience You Can Trust. Leadership Ready on Day One.

25 YEARS

OF PROVEN LEADERSHIP

WITH KENT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

ABOUT BRYAN MUIR

Leadership You Can Count On.

All in for Kent County. Ready Day One.

Bryan Muir has served the Kent County Sheriff’s Office for over 25 years, rising through the ranks from road patrol deputy to Undersheriff. Along the way, he has led across nearly every part of the Sheriff’s Office system — patrol, investigations, major cases, tactical operations, dive operations, 911 communications, jail operations, courts, technology, accreditation, labor relations, budgeting, and regional partnerships.

Bryan believes deeply in the mission of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office: to preserve and protect the safety and security of Kent County residents and to provide fair, impartial, and humane treatment to those entrusted to our care.

“Nothing at the Sheriff’s Office is accomplished alone. This work takes a team. My job as Sheriff would be to lead with that team, listen to the people doing the work and the residents we serve, set a clear direction, and make sure our staff have the tools, training, support, and leadership they need to serve Kent County safely and professionally.”

Bryan’s leadership is built on experience, preparation, and service. He has done the work, respects the work, and is ready to lead the full Sheriff’s Office system on day one.

Bryan’s Qualifications

  • Kent County Undersheriff, responsible for agency-wide daily operations, strategic planning, command staff coordination, policy governance, professional standards, budget stewardship, and cross-system public safety alignment.

  • 25+ years of Kent County Sheriff’s Office experience, including road patrol, detective work, major case and homicide investigations, tactical operations, dive operations, support services, corrections, courts, 911 communications, and executive leadership.

  • Certified Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) law enforcement officer with front-line and command experience across all operational areas of the Sheriff’s Office.

  • FBI National Academy Graduate, Quantico, Virginia, with a University of Virginia Certificate in Criminal Justice Education and 18 UVA continuing education credits.

  • Master of Public Administration with honors.

  • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Emphasis.

  • Police Academy Graduate.

  • Leadership Grand Rapids Graduate.

  • Grand Rapids Leadership Institute Graduate.

  • Michigan State University School of Staff and Command Graduate.

  • Certified Professional Standards Investigator, with executive responsibility for complaint investigations, internal accountability, professional standards, and policy compliance.

  • Former President of the Kent County Captains and Lieutenants Labor Council and former Treasurer of the Kent County Law Enforcement Association, giving him a strong understanding of employee concerns, labor relations, staffing, equipment, training, and morale.

  • Former tactical team commander and long-time tactical team member, with experience in high-risk operations, planning, training, and interagency response.

  • Major case and homicide detective and supervisor, giving him direct knowledge of complex investigations, evidence integrity, victim and family communication, and prosecutorial readiness.

  • Leader in body-worn camera and Axon modernization, including the 2020 pilot, agency-wide deployment, transition to Axon body camera/in-car/evidence systems, and evidence-retention updates to strengthen transparency and accountability.

  • Leader in early adoption of cutting-edge crime analysis and regional public safety technology, helping Kent County intervene earlier in pattern crime and improve cross-boundary response.

  • 911 and communications leader, including work on the 800 MHz transformation, countywide law enforcement and fire training, Kent County Dispatch Authority involvement, NextGen 911 awareness, school emergency radio communications, and redundancy planning between Kent County and Grand Rapids communications centers.

  • Jail, courts, and custody operations experience, including overseeing housing plans, inmate classification, court security, transports, remote hearings, prosecutor and defense access, Smart Communications tablets, medical and mental-health care, and critical incident response.

  • Accreditation and policy leader, including work connected to Michigan Chiefs of Police Association accreditation and American Correctional Association jail-side partnership.

  • Community engagement leader, with hundreds of presentations over his career to schools, churches, civic organizations, Rotary clubs, senior groups, youth safety events, fraud prevention programs, and community partners.

  • Fiscal Responsibility Bryan has coordinated and helped secure millions of dollars in competitive grant funding to strengthen technology, officer safety, regional partnerships, training, and other public safety initiatives. Throughout his career, he has remained committed to efficient and effective budget management, ensuring taxpayer resources are invested responsibly while maintaining the high level of service Kent County residents expect.

  • Board Member and Secretary of the Grand Rapids Boys & Girls Club; Chair of the Safety Committee, supporting youth safety, prevention, responsible governance, and community partnership.

  • Board and advisory service, including Silent Observer of West Michigan, Grand Valley State University Police Academy Advisory Board, Grand Rapids Community College Police Academy Advisory Board, West Michigan Law Enforcement Training Consortium, Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, National Sheriffs’ Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and National Tactical Officers Association.

Bryan is a proud husband and father of three. When he is not working, he enjoys cheering on his children at baseball and swimming events, volunteering at community events, and traveling with his family.

Learn more about the mission and role of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office here.

Bryan Muir is all in for

Kent County

— and ready day one.

Bryan’s Priorities as Sheriff

Every family deserves to feel safe, and public safety does not stop at city or county lines. Bryan’s priorities as Sheriff build on 25+ years of Kent County Sheriff’s Office experience in every aspect of operations.

  • Every family deserves to feel safe. Public safety protects our families, and that responsibility does not stop at city or county lines.

    • Protect families across city, township, and county lines because crime, emergencies, and public safety needs do not stop at boundaries.

    • Continue using regional partnerships, crime analysts, MPACT, human trafficking investigations, RTIC, the FUSUS Platform, and DFR to identify pattern crime early and intervene faster.

    • Strengthen patrol coverage and response by using staffing analysis, call data, crime trends, and smart deployment decisions to put resources where they are needed most.

    • Ensure thorough, professional investigations that support victims, prosecutors, defense obligations, court integrity, and public trust.

    • Bring day-one readiness across patrol, investigations, 911, jail, courts, budget, technology, and regional operations because I have led across the full Sheriff’s Office system.

  • Public safety works best when relationships are built before a crisis occurs.

    • Deliver hundreds of presentations over my career, including schools, churches, civic groups, Rotary clubs, senior groups, youth safety events, and fraud prevention programs.

    • Continue listening to residents, families, schools, faith communities, businesses, minority-led organizations, and neighborhood groups across Kent County.

    • Ensure the Sheriff’s Office understands community expectations before a crisis, not only after something goes wrong.

    • Maintain an open-door approach for any community group that wants to discuss safety, trust, technology, enforcement, or jail operations.

    • Continue supporting safe and connected communities by helping residents report crime, avoid victimization, and stay connected to public safety resources.

  • Accountability starts with clear standards, strong training, state-of-the-art equipment, and fair expectations.

    • Continue to lead the body-worn camera and Axon transition to strengthen transparency, improve evidence quality, and provide a clearer record for deputies, residents, victims, prosecutors, and courts.

    • Continue through accreditation, policy review, and professional standards because clear expectations protect the public and the staff expected to make difficult decisions.

    • Ensure the Sheriff’s Office remains professional, constitutional, and not political in how it enforces the law, manages complaints, and communicates with the public.

    • Preserve accountability by being fair, consistent, and focused on doing the job the right way while recognizing the good work the Kent County Sheriff’s Office staff does every day.

    • Manage a budget of more than $100 million with transparency, stewardship, and a commitment to reducing waste without compromising excellent service.

  • Modern public safety requires smarter tools, strong guardrails, and people-centered decision-making.

    • Continue using RTIC, the FUSUS Platform, DFR, KCSERN, 800 MHz communications, and NextGen 911 tools to improve response, coordination, and emergency readiness.

    • Use technology to identify patterns of crime earlier, locate vulnerable people faster, and give first responders better information before they arrive.

    • Keep public safety technology useful, limited, auditable, and explainable through role-based access, robust audit capability, policy oversight, and human decision-making.

    • Expand responsible information-sharing with local and regional partners because emergencies and crime often cross city, township, and county lines.

    • Pursue grants, partnerships, and innovative funding opportunities that improve safety without placing every new cost on Kent County taxpayers.

  • A secure jail and safe courts protect the public, support justice, and help reduce repeat contact with the system.

    • Understand the full connection between jail housing, classification, staffing, court security, transports, prosecutor and defense access, remote hearings, and high-risk court proceedings.

    • Keep the jail secure, professionally staffed, and properly classified to protect corrections staff, inmates, courts, victims, and the community.

    • Support mental-health, medical, and substance-use disorder services inside the jail because stabilizing people in custody improves safety and can reduce repeat cycling through the system.

    • Continue using tools like Smart Communications tablets, scanned mail, video hearings, and secure legal access to reduce movement, contraband risk, delays, and unnecessary costs.

    • Support jail programming, education, warm handoffs, and reentry partnerships that help people return to the community better prepared and less likely to reoffend.

A Sheriff You Can Trust

All in for Kent County. Ready Day One.

When you call 911, you should be able to trust that help is coming quickly, professionally, and with care.

When you are the victim of a crime, you should be able to trust that your case will be handled with urgency, compassion, and a commitment to the truth.

When someone is accused of a crime, the community should trust that the process will be fair, constitutional, and accountable.

Trust is built long before an emergency arises. Bryan brings the whole-system Sheriff’s Office experience this job requires — strong patrol coverage, professional investigations, reliable 911 communications, secure jail operations, safe courts, responsible technology, and community partnerships that help prevent crime before it spreads. He has helped lead the systems Kent County depends on and is ready to lead on day one.

Bryan is all in for Kent County — with the experience, judgment, and team-first leadership this job demands.

Leadership.

Experience.

Service.

From deputy to detective, sergeant to captain, and chief to Undersheriff, Bryan has over 25 years of proven leadership at every level of the job.

Results Already Delivered for Kent County

Modernized accountability through body-worn cameras, technology-based evidence systems, policy review, and professional standards.

Expanded training and de-escalation through accreditation, bias-awareness, and scenario-based training.

Advanced real-time crime intervention through the implementation of cutting-edge technology (RTIC, the FUSUS Platform, DFR, MPACT) to improve crime analysis and regional information sharing.

Improved jail and court operations through inmate classification, remote hearings, tablets, legal access, and behavioral-health support.

Strengthened 911 and school safety through the 800 MHz transition, NextGen 911 planning, and dispatch redundancy.

Managed complex public safety operations across patrol, investigations, corrections, courts, communications, contracts, technology, and budget stewardship.

Endorsements

  • Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young

    Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young

    Current Kent County Sheriff (2018-Present)

  • Retired Sheriff Larry Stelma

    Kent County Sheriff (2000-2018)

  • Kent County Sheriff's Office Seal

    Additional Endorsements

    Please contact info@muirforsheriff.com to add your endorsement. Thank you!

Join Team Muir

Volunteer With Us!

Bryan’s campaign is built on public safety, community trust, and leadership that is ready on day one — and we need your help sharing that message across Kent County.

Volunteers can help by knocking on doors, texting voters, walking in parades, distributing yard signs, preparing mailers, attending community events, or supporting the campaign behind the scenes. Once you sign up, a member of Team Muir will contact you about upcoming opportunities.

Thank you for joining the team. Together, we can keep Kent County safe, strong, and ready for the future.

*We will reach out closer to the election to place signs or ask for campaign help.