Deputy Police Chief
Thomas Lindberg -
Customer service at it’s
finest for over two decades

Growing up as a baseball fan in Clawson, Mich., Tom Lindberg had the guts to pursue his dream as he tried out for the Ferris State baseball team after graduating from High School in 1981.

Although it didn’t work out for him, it was probably a blessing in disguise. Much like Orel Hershiser, who was actually cut twice at Bowling Green, Mike Piazza, who was cut at Miami-Dade Community college, and even World Series MVP David Eckstein (who was originally cut at Florida U), he turned out just fine.

In fact, his competitive spirit and fascination with police work prompted him to throw his hat in the ring with 140 other people, and take the Novi Police Department test for a chance to interview for just one job opening!

Hold that thought…

Tom Lindberg transferred from Ferris State to Michigan State University and graduated with B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice. On the same week of this 22nd birthday, he made a choice that turned out to be a good one. He skipped his commencement ceremony since it coincided with the day of the Novi PD test, and not only did he pass, he joined the Novi Police Dept a few months later in January 1986, after months of rigorous testing and interviews.

After attending the Police Academy, Chief Begole assigned him to uniform patrol in April of 1986. Those were the days when 2 officers in the same car was the norm, and on some occasions, he would be part of the only 2 man team working the City of Novi on certain evenings, and it made for some busy times. Although, Lindberg aptly points out, “Officers now are busier than ever.” Given citizen’s demand for prompt customer service, and the fact that Novi has grown into a ‘destination city,’ police work is tougher than ever. During that time, Lindberg was given a lot of assignments, including participating as a field training officer, and as part of the Crisis Management team.

He also learned the duties of a dedicated police officer are expansive. When a citizen has an issue, they don’t want to hear, ‘that is not our job,’ or ‘that doesn’t fall under our duty.’ To that end, officers more than ever, are customer friendly and sensitive to the needs of their citizens.

In 1994 he was sent to work undercover narcotics in Oakland County, and after an action-packed, fulfilling year, it was back to uniform patrol for an additional 2-year stint.

In 1997 he was promoted to detective, and in this role he was primarily responsible for teaching D.A.R.E. to 5th and 6th graders. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he was also involved in some investigations, and during this time he became involved investgating computer crimes.

In 1998, a new statute enable officers greater autonomy in capturing child predators, and under this statute Tom Lindberg had the distinction of cracking a case and making the first arrest of a child predator in Oakland County. This was a noteworthy achievement as his burgeoning career was again on the rise.

Two years later he was promoted again, and became Sgt. Tom Lindberg, and was a shift supervisor until 2004. At this time he was elevated to Lieutenant and worked with the D.E.A. By now area residents have heard of the Novi PD’s success involving ‘Operation Falling Star.’

Lindberg was a key component of the team that broke up an international drug ring, and their efforts garnered over $15 million in illegal drug money - more than one third of it returning to Novi's coffers.

His tenure as a General Services Commander helped prepare him for the position he holds today. In 2006, just days before his 20th anniversary with the Novi Police Dept., Tom Lindberg was promoted to  Deputy Police Chief. Much like Police Chief David Molloy, he is very ‘customer service oriented.’

The Novi Police Department is a model of professionalism and consistency, and they are confident in their ability to take care of all critical issues, and execute the day-to-day operations effectively. However, in doing so, their emphasis is to do it in a ‘positive, friendly, way.’

Deputy Chief Tom Lindberg is a personable, affable, professional, and he carries out his duties in a manner that clearly advocates respect for the community and it’s citizens, in an atmosphere of volunteerism.

He is also proud be a citizen of Novi, Michigan and he is certainly a kindred spirit. “I am proud to have lived in Novi for 17 of the last 21 years, and I am proud to have served the community.’

The City of Novi is equally proud to have Deputy Chief Tom Lindberg on board. He is a dedicated professional and he always has been.

It’s been 25 years since taking his swings at Ferris State, and Tom Lindberg has proven he is still capable of hitting a Grand Slam Home Run.