Grosse Ile police report: June calls, training updates, new hire pending and generator bid review

The Grosse Ile Police Department reported 499 calls for service in June and outlined training, staffing and equipment updates at the July 15 commission meeting.

Deputy Chief presented the monthly report: “The monthly report for June, calls for service, we had 499 total calls. 858 incoming calls to dispatch and a hundred and 26 9 1 1 calls. We had 93 traffic stops for the month,” the deputy chief said. The report listed 9 citations, 17 notices to appear, 74 verbal warnings, 13 security notices, 15 welfare checks, 1 home invasion (described as not forced entry and under investigation), 22 reports and 23 FOIA requests for the month.

Why it matters: The counts and operational updates illustrate department workload and training priorities; commissioners used the report to discuss staffing levels and equipment funding.

Detective and support operations: The detective bureau had 26 assigned cases with 21 closed, and animal control handled 46 calls. The department listed training highlights including Axon Taser rollout (new equipment and in-house instructor training), SWAT and dive-team training, HAZMAT first-responder instruction and firearms qualification. The department reported reserve officers worked 43 hours in June and assisted at community events (fireworks, Island Fest-related activities, Uncle Sam Jam).

Staffing and hiring: Chief Carmack and staff said a candidate for a vacancy has been interviewed and that an action item to hire will be placed on the next board meeting agenda; the start date will accommodate the candidate’s preexisting commitments. During the meeting staff described current sworn staffing totals variably — citing “23 officers total” and noting off-duty or workers’-comp cases affect the on-road count — and said the new hire would increase the active roster once onboard. The department noted it is “supposed to pay 24” sworn positions but said funding constraints from the current millage limit headcount.

Equipment and budget items: The department said it is reviewing an 80-kilowatt Cummins natural-gas generator under a state bid program to replace an existing unit; the engineering firm will review the quote and the township board will be asked to authorize procurement if the bid is approved. Funding for the generator is expected to come largely from the cell-tower fund, staff said. Separately, the township board last night approved decommissioning one patrol vehicle (Charger #16) with about 100,000 miles and extensive electrical damage; staff said a replacement will wait for the next administration to purchase.

Budget and overtime: Staff reported the department had used roughly 29% of its budget about three months into the fiscal cycle and that overtime was running near 23%, below the higher amount budgeted for the year. Department leaders said command staff have been filling patrol shifts to cover shortages; Riverview Police Department and Wayne County sheriff’s reserves provided assistance during heavy-duty events such as bridge closures.

Less critical: The department addressed two acts of school-field vandalism — a press box and benches displaced on the midfield — noting camera installation is a school responsibility. The department’s social-media engagement has grown substantially, staff said, which they view as a tool for community alerts and outreach.