Sterling Heights police outline cadet program, DOJ-funded CARE team, drone-first-responder trial and jail renovation in budget presentations

Sterling Heights police leaders presented several new public-safety initiatives during the city’s budget workshop, including a plan to revive a cadet/cadet‑to‑academy pipeline, a federally funded co‑response CARE team to respond to behavioral‑health calls, a proposed drone-first‑responder (DFR) service, and a renovation of unused jail space for staff and training needs.

Why it matters: the proposals are intended to address recruitment and staffing challenges, add behavioral‑health response capacity, and speed situational awareness for first responders. Several ideas are funded in part by outside sources: the CARE team is supported by a $250,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant, and the proposed drone program would run under a multi-year service contract.

What police proposed - Cadet and academy sponsorship: Interim Chief Ken Pappas described reviving a cadet/cadet-to‑academy sponsorship program to build a local recruitment pipeline. The department would hire paid cadets to perform non‑sworn duties (front desk, non‑criminal reports, special events support), give them additional points on hiring exams and potentially sponsor academy attendance. Pappas said an…