Macomb County Communities Consider Sharing Police
MOUNT CLEMENS (WWJ) - Hearing the call of consolidation from the governor, 11 townships and villages in northern Macomb County may create their own joint police department.
Macomb County Sheriff Tony Wickersham says many Michigan cities aren't placing a lot of hope on what they're going to receive in state revenue sharing. And as populations shift and businesses relocate and close, that also means lost tax revenue.
"There's a north-end contingent of communities in the northern part of Macomb County that are looking at whether combining services or attempting to provide their services to other communities, especially in the northern part, that don't contract with the Sheriff's office and don't have a police agency," Wickersham said.
Armada, Romeo and Richmond already have their own police departments, while the rest of the villages and townships contract through the sheriff's department. Under the proposed Northern Macomb Area Police Service (or NOMAPS), there would be one multi-jurisdictional police force that everyone would share, making for a potential savings.
If the plan becomes a reality, some positions at the sheriff's office could be cut once service contracts were dropped by the townships. Right now, officials are looking into the feasibility of the idea, but say it could serve as a model for the rest of the state.
Wickersham said another initiative in Macomb looks at the possibility of sharing other city services, beyond law enforcement, in an effort to save taxpayer dollars.
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