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Fire and police chiefs report higher call volume, academy graduations and ongoing camera contract review
Summary
The fire department reported calls are about 25% higher year-to-date; the police department has three new recruits graduating the Washtenaw Police Academy and is finalizing hiring for an administrative coordinator. A license-plate camera contract is still under review and not yet operational.
Fire and police department chiefs briefed the South Lyon City Council on Sept. 8 about changing operational metrics and staffing developments.
Fire department Fire Chief John reported the department has responded to 989 calls year-to-date and said call volume is about 25% higher than the previous year. He detailed 40 incidents since Aug. 28: 26 EMS calls, three service calls, five false alarms, one vehicle fire, two hazardous conditions and three good-intent calls. Chief John said he has seen a statewide uptick in medical and service calls and noted that residents often call for non-fire assistance because firefighters are public problem-solvers.
Police department The police chief reported three recruits graduated from the Washtenaw Police Academy on the prior Friday and will be sworn in the coming Wednesday; they will begin in-house training and field training officer (FTO) rotations over the following days. The department also hired an administrative coordinator, who is expected to start Sept. 29.
License-plate camera project Council members asked whether a license-plate reader camera at 10 Mile is in operation; the police chief said the contract language was still under review by the city attorney and that the system is not yet operational. The chief said he had seen drafts of the contract and that staff were “looking forward to it,” but gave no firm activation date.
Other notes Council members and chiefs discussed e-bike-related calls and carbon-monoxide and combination smoke-alarm inventory; the fire chief said the department had increased inventory, including wired smoke alarms and adapters. The police chief thanked volunteers and staff for recent community events and noted officers provided extra patrol for festivals with no problems reported.
Follow up The police department will finalize the camera contract language with the city attorney before activation. The fire department will continue to monitor call trends and inventory needs.
