Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Department Operations Equipment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police department reports promotions, detective reorganization and generator project
Summary
The police chief outlined staffing changes, Detective Bureau case-management updates, plans to buy replacement laptops with federal forfeiture funds, and a proposed new generator for the public safety building with cost-sharing among township funds and the fire department.
At the Feb. 18 Grosse Ile Police Commission meeting, the police chief provided a departmental report covering staffing, investigative case management, equipment replacement and an upcoming generator project.
The chief announced that Sue Dahl Piazza has taken a detective position on a five-year term and Officer Kericho accepted promotion to the open sergeant position on the midnight shift; Kericho’s promotion will be finalized during the March commission meeting. The department has posted to fill the vacancy created by internal moves.
On equipment, the chief said the department’s 2018 laptop fleet is at end-of-life and the township must “recalibrate” its purchase plans because of changes coming from the agency that manages the network (referred to in the meeting as DCC/Sync). The chief said the replacement laptops would be paid from federal forfeiture funds and that a previously planned internal phone/network upgrade was being delayed in favor of laptops and the generator project.
The public safety building’s generator will be replaced after the commission solicits proposals. The department received a proposal request for oversight from C.E. Raines, the township engineering firm, which will provide a cost proposal to manage engineering, bidding and construction oversight. The chief said the new generator is likely to remain in the 80–100 kilowatt range to fit the existing pad, but a larger unit could require building work. The meeting record states the departments plan to add redundancy through a transfer switch so dispatch could be back-fed if the new unit fails. Funding for the replacement was described as split among federal forfeiture, the fire department budget and the township’s cell tower fund.
The chief described a change in investigative workflows: the Detective Bureau (DB) now reviews every assigned case before closure to provide an extra set of eyes. The DB had 32 cases assigned during the reported period, with 25 closed and 7 active. The chief also presented a new monthly-report layout intended to make public statistics clearer: a call-for-service sheet showing 503 calls for service; an incoming-dispatch count the chief read as “551” (transcript: “5 51”); and a 911-call figure the chief referenced while also saying the department averages about 100 911 calls per month. The commission discussed juvenile-report counts (one juvenile report that month) and overtime pressures attributed to headcount shortages.
Commissioner Scott Longton and others asked clarifying questions about the generator placement, transfer switch and costs; the chief said he and the fire chief met about the project the same day. The commission sought a formal proposal from the engineering firm and noted that any construction or bid would return to the board for approval before work begins.
A motion to accept the department’s monthly reports was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript records unanimous “Aye” responses but does not provide a roll-call tally.
