Flint City Police Captain Birnie to Be Honored with Public Memorial Service
Family, friends, Brothers in Blue, and the community will come together to honor a hero that served the Flint community for 26 years.
Veteran Flint Police Capt. Collin Birnie will be honored with a memorial service Friday, February 11. The service will take place at 1 p.m. Friday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located at 711 S. Saginaw St.in downtown Flint. Full police and military honors will then take place on Saginaw Street in front of St. Paul's immediately after the service.
Captain Birnie was well respected amongst his peers and loved by the community he served, and attendance for the memorial service is expected to be high. Because of that, seating inside the church will be limited only to designated family, friends, and those members of the Flint Police Department personnel.
Police officers from other agencies around the state and country, as well as the public, will be able to view the memorial service via a Livestream that will be broadcast at the Capitol Theatre located at 140 E. Second Street. All are welcome to attend. Also, S. Saginaw Street will be closed at all cross-streets from Kearsley to Court Street starting first thing Friday morning in lieu of the memorial service and large attendance expected.
Captain Birnie died on February 4th, as the result of a traffic crash while he was on duty. The head-on crash occurred on Elms Road in Mount Morris Township during Birnie's drive home after the end of his shift
Captain Birnie was a hero with the Flint Police Department for 26 years where he was the Patrol Bureau Commander, the Bomb Squad Commander, Tactical Team Commander, Lead Firearms Instructor. He was also a veteran of the armed forces serving his country as a Marine during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
As our community pays its respect and honors this local hero, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, daughters, family, and friends as well as the City of Flint Police Department.