LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – With issues like rising crime rates, retirements, lack of community support, low pay and continuous overtime, Michigan police officers are sounding the alarm about problems
affecting public safety – and some are leaving the professional altogether or moving on to other cities or states.

In Ypsilanti, five officers and a police chief have left the department within the last few weeks. In a city that is authorized to have 33 police officers, it is only staffed by 26. In the resignation letter of Police Chief Tony DeGiusti, he says, “There’s issues with morale. There’s issues with staffing.”

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The departures come at a time when the crime rates are on the rise in Ypsilanti. According to the FBI’s Time Data Reporter portal, data from 2020 shows a steady increase in violent crime with an 89% increase in violent crimes reported in 2020 as compared to 2016.

In Melvindale, a city about 15 minutes southwest of Detroit, the police department is warning the city about the impending crisis there. Sgt. Matthew Furman went to their council meeting recently to tell them that their police department is heading towards the edge of a cliff.

Furman told the council, “A combination of the lowest pay in the Downriver area and the second-lowest pay in Wayne County, no pension or meaningful retirement, lousy benefits and other factors such as a rundown station, insufficient equipment, lack of training, lack of opportunity, chronic short-staffing and excessive forced overtime has taken it’s toll.”

He went on to say, “We are burned out. Morale has been dead for years. We are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.”

In Grand Rapids, there are 31 vacancies for police officers. GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom told WZZM13, “Ten, 15 years ago, we were having 1,000 applicants for just a handful of spots. Today, we might be fortunate to get 100 applicants in a few months period.”

In Detroit, there are a whopping 300 job openings in the Detroit Police Department for patrol, dispatch and forensics.

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One city is looking to the Michigan State Police for help. Benton Harbor in Berrien County has been a part of Michigan’s Secure Cities Partnership (SCP) for for last seven years. SCP provides cities additional resources from the Michigan State Police (MSP) to fight violent crime through the Major Case Unit (MCU). MSP personnel works with
Benton Harbor to investigate crime but they also have a new tool at their fingertips – a specialized squad that focuses on proactive policing, crime prevention and community engagement.

Established in 2021, The Fifth District Crime Prevention Squad uses one trooper from each of the district’s four posts with a full-time supervisor to oversee them. Sgt. Ian Fields, squad leader, says, “We’re available throughout the district, but focus most of our time in Benton Harbor. This effort benefits residents because we’re focusing on
crime reduction by working with the MCU detectives and local officers.”

The team also has K9 Officer Otto working for them along with partner Tpr. Jared Orban, who is assigned to the Niles Post. Trooper Organ says, “most of my calls for service were in the Benton Harbor area so it made sense for me to be part of the squad.

This is the work we enjoy. Otto is a huge help tracking suspects and finding discarded items like weapons or drugs.”

Community engagement is a big part of the mission for the team including attending the National Night Out that occurred in August. The team is involved in a three month commitment but can reapply to stay on the squad. The team has also worked in South Haven, Kalamazoo, Covert and Saugatuck on different assignments.

Captain Brown says, “This is an opportunity for troopers to expand their knowledge of urban policing, leadership and working in a team atmosphere. We’ll keep this crime fighting squad running as long as we can.”