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Commissioners press county on downtown safety as sheriff contract is proposed
Summary
Mount Clemens commissioners heard multiple business and resident accounts of aggressive behavior downtown and discussed a proposed three-year law-enforcement and dispatch agreement with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office covering 01/01/2025–12/31/2027; commissioners asked for clearer cost and patrol information from the county.
Mount Clemens city leaders spent a large portion of their Sept. 16 meeting addressing downtown safety after several business owners and residents described aggressive and sometimes violent behavior by a recently arrived group of people experiencing homelessness.
"They're smoking pot openly. They are doing crack. They are drinking, openly," said Mickey Weist, a downtown resident and event organizer, describing recent incidents that he said disrupted concerts and other events.
The safety concerns surfaced again when the commission took up a motion to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office for law-enforcement and regional dispatch services covering Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2027. City Manager Shipman summarized the proposed contract and the staffing that the packet lists for the service: "the costs associated with 1 sergeant, 16 deputies, 4.2 dispatchers, and 6 vehicles," and noted the dispatch agreement contains no changes from the current agreement "except for dates and cost." (City Manager Shipman)
Commissioners and public commenters pressed for clearer numbers and performance details. "I think maybe we should let everyone know what the total is that we're paying for these," one commissioner said during discussion; the transcript includes conflicting or garbled cost figures and does not provide an unambiguous total in the public record of the meeting.
Several commissioners said they were frustrated by a lack of follow-up after an earlier workshop with sheriff's representatives. "When they came forward to us to recommend additional deputy positions ... it's really hard to figure out what we need, when we don't know what's going on," said a commissioner, calling for patrol logs and more concrete information on how often deputies stop and address incidents.
Speakers urged a mix of responses. Some business owners requested more visible patrols and faster response times; others emphasized that the city should avoid "criminalizing homelessness" while still protecting residents and customers. "We want to help homelessness," one commissioner said, "but at the same time, we need to make sure that people downtown across the city are safe." (Commissioner)
The contract motion was moved on the meeting agenda; the meeting transcript documents the motion and extensive discussion about staffing and service levels. The transcript does not include a clear, unambiguous roll-call tally for the final contract vote in the public portion provided here; the city's packet and follow-up minutes should be consulted for the official vote tally and contract cost details.
What happens next: commissioners suggested contacting the county board and the city’s county commissioner to press for clearer answers and asked staff to continue working with the sheriff’s office and to return with additional data. Several attendees were advised to keep calling dispatch (911) so incidents are logged, which strengthens requests for more county action.
