By Diane Brown
Facilities and Operations
Keith Curtis
“Keith was a professional and a gentleman,” said Department of Public Safety (DPS) director William Bess after the funeral service for DPS police
officer Keith Curtis, who died Jan. 24 after a courageous battle with leukemia. Curtis was 32.
“He was talking just last week about working out and coming back to the University,” said Bess. “We will all miss him.”
Curtis, a resident of Howell, joined DPS in March 1995 as a road patrol officer. He completed bicycle patrol training in 1997, and became a Community Oriented Policing (COP) officer in 1998. As a COP officer, Curtis was assigned to the eastern half of the central campus, based in the Church Street satellite office, and provided assistance to the schools, colleges and units in his area with safety education and loss prevention strategies.
“Keith loved helping the U of M community,” said Bess of the Michigan State University criminal justice graduate. Curtis also loved drawing, painting and the outdoors. He had completed nine years with the Boy Scouts of America, culminating in earning the highest level in scouting, Eagle Scout.
Police work is a tradition in the family. Keith’s father, Leith Jr., retired from the Lansing City Police Department, where Keith’s twin brother, Leith III, is now a sergeant.
In addition to his parents, brother and sister-in-law, Curtis is survived by his wife Angie and two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kirsten.
