Nobody but a politician likes more taxes, however...
I recently had the misfortune of being involved in a nearly head-on collision in Rose Township.
Sadly, the Citizens of Rose Township, and several others in the area choose to not adequately fund public safety and have through that omission elected to have the Michigan State Police 'patrol' their townships.
It took 45 minutes for the Trooper to arrive on scene - long after many witnesses to the accident had already left, and in fact EMS delayed transporting the other driver for a non-life threatening leg injury in order to wait for the Trooper.
It's my understanding that OCSD has more patrol deputies than the entire MSP? Why should the citizens of this County expect anything less than top notch Sheriff services anywhere within the County?
I for one am soured on the experience and no longer intend to travel through, visit, or frequent businesses in the North Western Areas of the Couny
Comments (5)
Every community (city, village or township) in Oakland County except 3 has their own police department, contracts with another police department or levies a millage to hire the Sheriff’s Office to provide police services. Those three have chosen to not do anything as it relates to their own local police protection so a countywide levy would not be appreciated by the rest of the county that already pays for their own local policing. Those communities have the authority to make that decision and have opted not to contract for police services or have their own local police agency.
From: The Oakland County Sheriff's Office
This is an interesting question in regards to local control and taxes, versus public safety which includes everyone who may walk, drive, or otherwise visit an area in the County. My municipality recently eliminated our local police force to cut costs and contracted for County Sheriff services through the surrounding Township. No significant complaints about the service but we contracturally have no say about the cost or service delivered, and cannot vote in the Township that does control the service. Should there be a minimum mandatory service, as now provided by the State Police, a backup at some cost from the County, and perhaps a premium service from either the Sheriff or local police? Since none of this is mandatory, do the local voters have the final say or should there be a minimum level of service provided by the State or County? It goes to the root of Michigan's Home Rule laws and will be bitterly defended by both sides. Personally I think the entire organization of County, Township, City and State needs to be looked at as the laws are over a hundred years old and we are not what we were back then. Probably a much bigger issue to handle than the just the response time for patrols in Rose Township.
That same analogy can be applied indirectly to a whole host of County Departments ranging from IT to Property Tax Assessment Services. The vast majority of which are not self-sufficient departments and in fact rely at least partially upon funding from the County's General Property Tax Millage - it would not surprise me if the County Sheriff has some funding from the general levy already...
Regardless, at a time when the entire Nation is investigating shared services for so many Municipal/School systems it would seem prudent for a forward thinking County such as Oakland's to at least explore an arrangement to ensure County wide Deputy Patrols, or perhaps a shared service whereby the State recognizes how ineffective their response times are, back out as "primary dispatch point" and reimburses Oakland County for a much more effective road patrol.
It would of course not negate the MSP's free-ranging jurisdiction; but potentially increase public safety through more respectable response times.
I would not want the 'officer of the week' patrolling my neighborhood. Rent a cops belong in shopping malls, and not in communities. If a community can't afford it, maybe they shouldn't be a community any more.
With the pending elimination of the Groveland post of the MSP, I would hope that some level of strategic planning is taking place to insure the safety of County residents traveling, working and living in these rural areas of the County.