The first village constable was appointed in 1837. In 1960 the first police department was established and it has since expanded to a staff that now includes four full time officers, 2 part time officers, 3 reserve officers and an administrative assistant. The department patrols within the Constantine village limits and handles approximately 1500 complaints a year. The rest of the time you’ll find the officers working traffic control, assisting with school crossing, handling ordinance violations, and doing bike and foot patrols, along with many other duties.

In 1972, the village hired Peter E. Borst as an officer. No one envisioned that Pete would end up devoting more than half of his life to the Constantine Police Department.

Officer Borst started as a part time officer and moved up to a full time officer and then promoted to sergeant. He was known in the village as the “gruff, mean officer” that had most people wary of dealing with him, but at the same time had a great deal of respect for him. Residents knew they could count on him and that he genuinely cared about the village. Those of us who knew him well saw the smile in his eyes when no one else did. His devotion to the department was reflected by the immense loyalty and respect he earned from the officers he led and in 1999 he was promoted to lieutenant.

In 2003, Lt. Borst made a decision to retire due to health issues. The choice was not an easy one for him nor was it easy for the officers. Though his health continued to deteriorate he continued to call several times a week to see how things were going and make sure that “his” officers were okay. In March 2004, approximately one year after he retired, Lt. Borst passed away from cancer. His wisdom, strength, and devotion to the Village of Constantine, the Constantine Police Department, and to those in his “extended police family” will be sorely missed.

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