5/2/14 - A committee set up to examine police protection in Putnam Township is not recommending an increase in coverage, but says more input is needed from the public. The township currently contracts with the Livingston County Sheriff to get dedicated patrols for 40 hours every week, but earlier this year the township board set up the Police Protection Committee to examine whether they should increase to full-time protection. One avenue for doing this would be to have the Pinckney Police Department expand its coverage to the entire township, effectively doubling its size at an estimated cost of $400,000 per year. The committee held nine meetings over the past couple of months, talking with stakeholders from the community, the police department, and the sheriffâs department. At its final meeting last night, the committee determined that there was not enough crime to justify an increase from 40 hours per week to full time dedicated coverage. However, that is not the end of the issue. The committee is also recommending that the township board perform a formal survey to find out if the residents of the township want to increase police coverage, even at the estimated 2.6 mills of extra property tax it would require. Chair Pat Carney tells WHMI the committee simply could not get enough public input during the course of its investigation. The committee also agreed that the survey should only include residents of the township who are not residents of the village, since those are the residents who would get increased police coverage. Meanwhile, village residents have a financial interest in the township contracting with the police department, which would substantially reduce their police millage. (TD)
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