By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Macomb Community College Police Academy graduate Brad Neaton has worn a few hats during his career, serving in the Army and working as a journalist and writer, but he is quite literally coming home as a law enforcement officer.

Due to his stellar performance in the academy, Neaton was selected for the Robert Figurski Award, which he received during the academy graduation on Dec. 10, 2025. Neaton was one of 10 pre-service recruits in a graduating class of 26 cadets.

The $500 Robert Figurski Award, which is sponsored by the Police Officers Labor Council (POLC), is given twice yearly at the discretion of the police academy to graduating cadets. To qualify, cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m genuinely honored and grateful, and it’s an honor too that they thought that I was worthy of the award,” Neaton said. “Going forward, I’ll try to live up to that.”

The 34-year-old also received the Macomb Police Academy Award for Academic Excellence, earning a 3.7 GPA, and the Macomb Police Academy Physical Excellence Award at graduation.

“Cadet Neaton has stood out as a leader in the Macomb Police Academy,” said Michael Ciaramitaro, Macomb Police Academy Director. “Physically, he stood out as a leader in physical training as voted on by his instructors and peers. Academically, he stood out with the highest academic score for Class 119.”

Neaton truly has come full circle in his professional life. Originally from New Baltimore, Michigan, he began his law enforcement career as a New Baltimore Police Officer on Dec. 15, 2025.

The United States Army Veteran received a United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) Certification in 2010 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in American History from the United States Military Academy West Point in 2014. Neaton served 5 years as an Army Infantry Officer at Fort Benning in Georgia from 2014 to 2019. He went on to pursue his Master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations, graduating in 2021 from the University of Southern California. That same year, he began his journalism and writing career, working at the University of Southern California School of Journalism office, and in 2023 he was hired as Communications Manager at the University of Texas San Antonio.

Neaton even wrote a novel about the opioid epidemic, titled “Because of Jenny”, which was published in 2021. “It’s just an issue that seems to affect a lot of people and yet it doesn’t receive a whole lot of attention,” Neaton said. “It seems like everyone you talk to knows at least one person who has really been impacted, whether they know someone who has overdosed or it’s a friend or family member struggling with addiction. I felt like it was a topic that deserves more attention.”

Despite his successful writing career, Neaton had a nagging feeling that he wasn’t in the profession that he was meant to do. “I tried to be a kind of a normal guy, a civilian, for a while and it just didn’t really fit me. I missed the Army and I just felt drawn to pursuing another opportunity,” he said. “Being a writer is great, but it’s kind of a solitary pursuit — you’re doing this on your own. I missed feeling like I was part of a team. I missed the camaraderie. I missed feeling like I was part of something bigger than myself. I missed all the benefits of surrounding yourself with a certain type of person.”

So, he dove into researching a career in law enforcement. “I don’t have any family in law enforcement. I don’t have a background in law enforcement,” however, Neaton said, “The idea of being in civil service was very appealing to me. Just the idea of being able to do something for more than myself and for a career outside of the Army is what drew me to wanting to become a police officer. It became pretty clear — after a while, I felt like it could kind of reorient my life and get some of those things back, like a sense of camaraderie … It felt like becoming a police officer would check all those boxes.”

 Macomb Police Academy really brought everything together for Neaton.

“My time at the academy reinforced for me that I made the right decision, just based on the instructors and my classmates,” he said. “It went by fast. I can’t emphasize enough how great the instructors are! The Director, Mike Ciaramitaro, he’s an outstanding leader, and just from top to bottom every single instructor we had … I really felt they were all very top-notch, outstanding individuals. It was really a pleasure and an honor to be able to learn from them every day.”