Policing

Serious business, public safety.
For the record we have commented on policing before.
But you're right - we've pretty much left the idea of a Law Enforcement Authority alone.
But since you asked...
The people of this Village and residents of this Township long ago drew lines in the sand, carefully marking out where one ends and the other begins.
The old Village Council erected it's own Berlin Wall between Township and Village government, complete with barbed wire and armed guards.
Your former Police Chief made no bones about where his jurisdiction started and where it ended, and had an extremely antagonistic relationship with the Ingham County Sheriff's Office, as did most of his officers.
This attitude of insularity permeated all aspects of life in the Village.
When the Ingham County Commissioners announced that budget cuts would eliminate road patrol for the out counties, Stockbridge Township Supervisor Paul Risner had a dialogue with your then Village Manager Dan Dancer about expanding Village coverage to include the Township. Risner wanted to ensure the safety of Township residents, and was investigating all avenues. The Village Manager promised that he would have someone contact the township. Needless to say, it never happened.
The Township extended it's hand; the Village slapped it away.
Fast forward to 2011.
Road Patrol is shaved to 2 deputies to cover 444 square miles.
It goes without saying that the math doesn't work in that equation.
Michigan State Police began picking up some of the slack, but again, with MSP facing cuts of its own, they were hard pressed to respond to any but the most serious calls.
Result? Don't call 911 unless you're bleeding - profusely - cuz there will be a wait.
A new and hopeful era dawned here in the Village with the resignations of the manager and the chief; new council members were elected; bridges began to be built between the Township and the Village. It was a brand new day.
But long memories and bad feelings began to sabotage what should have been a beautiful partnership. "We're the Village - we don't give a hairy hoot what happens in the Township," said some. "Let them solve their own problems," said others. And many more, after much disingenuous posturing and misinformation in the local paper, based their opinions on an expanded police force on that twisted information. Many in the Village balked at the idea of an expanded police force based on money alone. How much should the Township pay? Certainly the Village shouldn't bear the brunt of the costs to police 'them.' Who would be 'in charge' of the police, and who would decide what would get patrolled and when? Such questions dangled there in the air, and no one was providing good answers. For some Village residents, the answer was simple - let the township fend for itself.
This road of long memories and bad feelings runs both ways. For some Township residents, the last thing they wanted or felt they needed was the Village Police Department poking its nose into Township business. Hell, most Township residents weren't all that worried about the loss of the road patrol. They felt they could 'take care of themselves' and 'look after their own.' The rallying cry seemed to be the sound of 'hillbilly burglar alarms' - the sound of a 12 gage shot gun being racked.
While we feel that a Law Enforcement Authority would certainly solve a couple of problems, we also feel it would pose some.
And can residents who have a hard time seeing eye to eye on the time of day, really come together to form the Authority?
We have no idea.
Cost is certainly an issue. Risner refused to assess taxes on Township residents to fund law enforcement without putting it to a vote - and  Township residents promptly voted it down.
Who would sit on the Authority Board? Are there people that would be trusted by both the Village and the Township?
And would residents of the Township see this as just a money-making opportunity for the cash strapped Village to balance the budget with Township dollars; or would they view it as a necessity for having some police protection?
A vast majority of Township residents are over 65 and living alone. A vulnerable population that does require protection, and would certainly benefit from police coverage.
The Village is currently plagued by a rash of vandalism and thefts; more police patrol hours would go a long way toward curbing that behavior.
Pros and cons; cons and pros.
What to do?
We here at the Citizen-Herald support policing as a right of every American to be safe in their homes.
The biggest hurdles will be those long memories, that insular attitude, and those 'we don't need you' thinkers on BOTH sides of the issue.