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Have Your Say on Safety. Public Safety Funding Town Forums

The most important tool in creating a safer community: Your voice.

Below are a series of questions and answers gathered from our town forums held in August of 2009. Please take a look at what "you" had to say. Click below for the area you want to find out more about.

General Question & Answers

Q. If the township has concerns about maintaining and enhancing public safety, why do we not just concentrate on maintaining what the township currently has until times improve?
A. The township continues to lose state revenue sharing (visit the website below). We have been told that we will receive approximately $40,000 less in 2009 than originally promised from the state. We have been told to anticipate an approximate reduction of $120,000 for 2010. The township must make up these reductions, which ultimately will impact public safety. So, if we simply want to maintain, we would need to levy approximately 1 mil.

Q. What is revenue sharing, and how do I get information on how it impacts Bridgeport Township?
A. The following link can provide you with all the information you need to understand revenue sharing and how it impacts local units of government.
http://mml.org/advocacy/funding/index.html
This link will take you the Michigan Municipal Leagues’ website. There are links here to several resources including the State Treasury website. Scroll down on the page to find a short video about revenue sharing.

The County of Saginaw will also be severely impacted by revenue sharing cuts. The following link will take you to a document on the County website that   outlines the impact of such cuts. http://www.saginawcounty.com/Docs/Controller/SRS_2008.pdf

Q. How do I obtain a copy of the townships budget for a given year?
A. Annual financial statements and auditors report may be found on the State Treasury website. The following links are provided for your convenience. You may also obtain this information by filing a FOIA request at that township office. There will be a copy charge from the township. Online documents are free.

Click here for year 2004
Click here for year 2005
Click here for year 2006
Click here for year 2007
Click here for year 2008

Q. What has happened with business growth in our community over the years?
A. In the past our Township was known as a bedroom community. It is believed that this image had contributed to the lack of growth. We have also turned some development away because our citizens did not feel it was beneficial to the community. 

Over the past couple of years our Township has experienced some growth and expansion. Examples include: Orchid Unique expansion, Amigo expansion, McNally Nimergood, Bridgeport Public Library, along with new construction of CIG Glass and ET Automotive. The Kroger plaza is seeing a facelift including a gas station and refurbishment of its parking lot. 

The three zip codes in our Township affect the Township when it comes to attracting big box stores.  When a developer looks at the population of Bridgeport 48722 (developer looks at rooftops to consider development in our community) under the current Bridgeport zip code 48722 we have under 3,000 residents when in reality we have over 10,744 residents living in Bridgeport Township sharing zip codes with Saginaw 48601and Birch Run 48415. 

Q. I have heard that our zoning and codes are too strict and therefore deter business.
A. Our zoning and codes are no more stringent than that of similar or larger communities.  Our land use is zoned based on our master plan.  This may present challenges when a person wants to use land for something other than what it is zoned for, but there are processes in place for a person to apply to have land re- zoned.  The State of Michigan adopted a standard building code that communities must follow.  This was done a few years ago and to our knowledge, all communities follow the Michigan Building Code.

We are not in a position to violate codes and standards.  There is a process in   place for a person to follow if they feel that the codes are not being applied correctly or fairly.  Many times, issues arise because a person has not taken time      to understand the code requirements prior to committing to a project or they change their plans mid-project without consulting the appropriate official. 

Q.Why doesn’t the Township place the Public Safety assessment on the tax roll without going to the vote of the people?
A.The purpose of holding the Public Forums was to inform our residents and business owners what the Township is facing due to state revenue cuts, reduced property tax monies, and how the cuts affect our Township.  The residents and business owners were invited to attend a Public Forum meeting (the Township held 20 meetings) to better understand (ask questions, share opinions) what our Township is facing in this bad economic time and voice their opinion on what the community would like to see.  

Q. If this Public Safety millage/assessment doesn’t go through will the Township Board automatically place the assessment on the tax roll anyway? 
A.The Township Board is undecided at this time. The Township Board wants to hear from our property owners.  There will be a Town Board meeting held at the Governmental Center on Tuesday, September 1, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. to further discuss the proposed millage/assessment.  This is a regular board meeting with   other agenda items.

Q.How much money will a millage or assessment generate?
A.The simple answer is: 1 mil will generate $1 per $1,000 of taxable value.  In Bridgeport, the taxable value is approximately $232, 224, 000, so 1 mil would generate approximately $232,224.  Things such as the Headlee Rollback, personal property values and tax abatements may affect these amounts.

Q.How do we get residents involved in our community?
A.Residents are invited to attend the Township board meetings to get involved. There are also other committees and groups, such as the Bridgeport Days festival committee, that would welcome new members.  The Chamber is also actively seeking new members. Contact the township for information on how to get involved.

Q. Families don’t want to move into Bridgeport Township.  Why is that? 
A. Families looking to locate to our community look at our schools, what our community has to offer as far as parks and recreation activities for their children/families, businesses in the area, how safe our community is with both fire and police protection, and the list goes on. Bridgeport Schools have received a bad rap.  The perception throughout our area is that we do not have a good school system. Granted we may not have all of the programs and amenities as other districts, but we have had many children graduate from the Bridgeport-Spaulding School district and go on to become very successful. 

This will be a tremendous challenge for us until such time as we are able to change this perception.

Q. How do we encourage residents to come to Township Board meetings? 
A. Our board meetings are open to the public. The Township Board meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. If there are insufficient agenda items the second meeting is not held. The town board needs input and would like to see a highest attendance at meetings.  Unfortunately, we typically do not see many people unless there is an agenda item that interests them specifically.

Q. With the cost of holding a special election being from $10,000 to $13,000 can this be held off until a regular election is held? 
A. State Revenue cuts are happening now. The Township can opt to wait until next year to include this with another vote to save cost. However, the Township is facing cuts from State Revenue now.

Q. Our population is decreasing, and yet the township wants to add police and firefighters, why?
A. Although we have seen a population decrease, we have seen an increase in calls for service.  The majority of our crimes are being committed by persons from outside of Bridgeport. Criminals are opportunist and do not care about a community’s demographic, they will commit crimes where ever and when ever the opportunity presents itself. The fire department has also seen an increase in   calls for service over the last decade. Our community has an aging baby boomer population, which inevitably results in a greater number of EMS responses. The age of our structures coupled with maintenance issues creates a greater risk for other type fire responses. 

Q. Why is the Township spending money on the State Street Bridge? 
A. The bridge had to either be removed, dismantled, and hauled away or the Township accept the Historic State Street Bridge preservation funding (grants) from the Federal government and MDOT, with the Township contributing $100,000 and the DDA contributing $250,000. If the bridge fell into the river it would have cost the Township more money (along with the DEQ getting involved) the same as hiring someone to dismantle the bridge and haul it away. The bridge is over 200’ long and not just a simple project for someone to take on. With the funding from the Federal government and MDOT (over 2 million dollar project) this project will be a focal point of our community which will become part of the walking trail in Bridgeport Township. 

Q. Why do the unions have such a grip on communities?
A. It is not the issue. Contracts have to be honored.  If we were to just disregard the union contract it leads to litigations, lawsuits and huge labor issues which cost       the taxpayers money.

Q. Why is blight not being handled in the Township? 
A. Township personnel are working very had to keep up with blight in our community.  The Township has laid off an employee that was dedicated to blight   enforcement. 

Q. Why hasn’t the Township put money away for capital assets over the years? 
A. The Township had a very healthy fund balance years ago.  When a large purchase needed to be made it came out of fund balance and fund balance was replenished with state revenue sharing and property tax collections. State revenue has since been cut and the funds have been taken out of fund balance when needed but fund balance over the past 5 years has not been replenished.

Q. How does the Township know that 2.5 mills will be enough money?
A. There was a lot of time and effort put into the thought process and calculations to come up with the millage the Township felt would be needed to accomplish maintaining public safety in our community. 

Q. If the Township received the 2.5 mills, how can the residents be safe that more taxes won’t be implemented? 
A. The Township’s goal is the maintain and enhance public safety.  It has no intention to come back a year from             now and ask for more monies.  The Township has never had a public safety millage on the property taxes unlike other    communities such as Buena Vista, Carrollton Township, City of Saginaw, Kochville Township, Saginaw Township, Spaulding Township, Thomas Township, Tittabawassee Township, Zilwaukee Township, etc. 

Q. What has been the community’s response at these public forum meetings?
A. Very informational.  Most residents did not know what the impact is on the Township in regards to cuts at the State level and the crime that the Township is working diligently to keep out of Bridgeport Township.  Most residents have not a clue how many medical, fire runs, and police calls our         Township encounters on a daily basis and what our Township is truly up against.   

Q. Where is the consolidation of zip code issue at in the Township? 
A. The petitions that the residents signed have been mailed to our Senator Roger Kahn and Representative Dave Camp.  They have been in contact with the United Stated Post Office and at the State level to make this happen. There have been request for additional information from both Senator Kahn and Rep. Camp and that information has been forwarded to them. There is no quick fix to this.We continue to respond to their questions and we continue to stay on top of this for this is important to our community.

Q. How much money will the DDA capture and can they sign off to not collect the DDA portion?
A. The DDA will be asked to waive the collection of DDA monies if an assessment or millage is placed on the tax roll.

Fire Questions & Answers

Q.How is our fire department staffed?
A.The fire department has 3 full-time personnel that work Mon-Fri from 8am to 5pm. These personnel respond after hours and on weekends when available. There are currently 21 paid volunteers that respond based on their availability.

Q.How much are the volunteers paid?
A.Volunteers who hold the rank of certified firefighter earn $8.25 per hour when they respond. They are also paid their hourly rate for training attendance and other activities that warrant payment. New or non-certified firefighters earn the current state minimum wage until they earn their certification. Volunteers who hold the rank of a fire officer earn $9.50 per hour. We have not provided an increase in the hourly rate since 2003.

Q.Why did we change the number of fulltime firefighters originally planned for with the millage?
A.Since our last public forums, feedback from the citizens, and in learning how significant revenue reductions are projected to be, it was determined that we would focus on maintaining the current staffing levels of the departments and add only part-time staffing when needed.

Q.Why would we consider increasing our emergency medical service response level?
A.The easy answer is revenue. By retaining some or all of the revenue generated by our private ambulance provider, we may be able to offset the cost of staffing and therefore reduce the burden on the general fund. This matter is a separate project outside of this millage request. Nothing has been determined at this time. Findings will be presented in early 2011 for board and public consideration.

Q.Does the federal or state government reimburse the Township Fire Department when they respond to calls on I-75?
A.No. We do not receive funding for the state or federal government for services provided on their respective roadways.

Q.What does the Township offer the on-call Fire-Fighters to retain them?
A.Aside from the $8.25 hourly wage, there is a response incentive whereby they receive extra money at the end of the year based on their response percentage. A person must respond to a minimum of 100 calls in a given year before they are eligible for the program. We have had requests to look at other programs, but today there simply is not enough funding to consider other options.

Q.Can’t the fire department simply call for other fire departments to help them?
A.Yes and this occurs on incidents where it is warranted. All fire departments in Saginaw County participate in a mutual aid pact. This is valuable on incidents such as structure fires and other large incidents. However, a department must be careful not to abuse the system, i.e. I call your department 1 time and you call mine 10. This scenario would not be fair and equitable.

This system is somewhat unreliable because it to relies primarily on volunteers. The availability of resources depends on time of day, day of week and in some cases time of year. The time that it takes another department to respond is also a factor and is dependent on where their fire station is located relative to the incident location.

Overall, the system works as well as could be expected and to our knowledge, no fire department has ever been denied mutual aid. Fire departments in Saginaw County do not bill each other for assistance rendered.

Q.Does the fire department bill for its services?
A.We bill non-residents for service such as vehicle fires and vehicle crashes. We also bill people whose incident is the result of a crime such as drunk drivers who crash. We recover this money from individuals, insurance companies or sometimes as restitution through the criminal justice system.

We have discussed billing residents for structure fires as the majority of insurance policies have a provision for paying up to $1,000 for fire response. Many people feel this is “double-dipping” and should not be done. Considering our economic state, this should be revisited.

Q.Would adding more full-time firefighters save me money on my homeowners insurance? Do I benefit from the fire department as it is today?
A.The decision has been made to not add full-time staffing through this millage. However, the short answer is yes. However, you need to check with your insurance provider to fully understand the benefits derived. Our community has a fire insurance rating of 5/9. If you are within 1,000 feet of a hydrant you are likely rated a 5. Ask your insurer what the benefit would be if we were a 4 or a 3. Also ask what the ramifications would be if our rating increased.

This rating is provided by ISO (Insurances Services Office, Inc.). ISO is an independent statistical, rating and advisory organization that serves the property, casualty insurance industry. ISO collects information on a community’s public fire protection and analyzes the data using the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS). ISO then assigns a public protection classification to the community, which is used by many insurers to aid them in establishing insurance rates.

There are many factors other than hydrant distances that impact a community’s rating such as: number of fulltime personnel, how many road miles you are from a fire station, firefighter training, type and quantity of fire trucks, type and amount of equipment carried on fire trucks. For detailed information on ISO, visit www.isomitigation.com

Q.Why does the fire department respond to natural gas leaks and downed wires, isn’t that Consumer Energy’s problem?
A.It is a Consumers Energy problem. However, they do not have crews in the immediate area to respond. Also, during severe storms they can quickly become overwhelmed with calls for service. Because downed wires may be “live” and because natural gas leaks are dangerous, 911 dispatches the fire department. Our personnel are trained to deal with these emergencies. The fire department makes an assessment of the incident including the level of danger posed to the public. That information is provided to Consumers Energy. If the situation warrants, the fire department will remain on scene until a representative from Consumers Energy arrives. The fire department may bill Consumers Energy for “stand-by” time greater than 1 hour, which we do when warranted.

Q.I have been told that the newest fire truck was purchased last year and that it cost about $500,000. Is this true?
A.This is absolutely FALSE information. The fire department recognized in 2002 that it needed to change its fleet of apparatus to meet response needs. We sold our older aerial platform truck in May of 2004 and purchased a “regular or standard” fire engine, which was delivered and placed in service in June 2005. We evaluated 11 trucks from 9 different manufacturers. We also evaluated used fire engines, but ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the township to purchase new.

We selected a quality company that met our specifications. Prices ranged from $261,000 to $335,000. The truck we selected cost $268,320 including equipment. We put 50% down and financed the balance for 5 years, which was paid off in June, 2010.

Q.Does the entire fire roster report when a call comes in from Central Dispatch (911)?
A.First, personnel respond based on their availability, which is a key factor in how many respond. It also depends on the type of call. For medical runs after normal business hours, there are scheduled shifts where no more than three personnel sign-up to respond. All other call types have a varying number of personnel respond. Keep in mind that Bridgeport does not respond to all medical related calls in our Township.

Q.Is the Fire Department automatically dispatched when a call goes into Central Dispatch (911)?
A.No Central Dispatch and/or medical dispatch make a determination based on caller information what resources should be dispatched to an incident. This happens very quickly and is heavily dependent on what the caller is telling the dispatch operator. We must respond based on the information being given by the caller. This sometimes results in a downgraded response, which is why you sometimes see a truck returning to the fire station having left only a short time ago.

Q.How many Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) on duty during the day in the Fire Department?
A.12 of our 23 personnel are licensed Emergency Medical Technicians. With the exception of two new hires, the balance are licensed Medical First Responders (MFR). During the day, there are typically only two EMT’s on duty.

Q.Why does the fire department need a Humvee as opposed to a regular truck?
A.In late 1998 administration decided to begin planning for the ultimate replacement of the fire departments brush unit, which in 1998 was 20 years old. The administration began writing grants and seeking donations for the replacement of this vehicle. They ultimately raised approximately $68,000 for this purpose.

Upon seeking out vehicles in 2001, the administration came upon a used 1993 Fire Attacker Humvee, which in the end was approved for purchase at a cost of approximately $82,000. The difference between the money raised and the purchase price ($14,000) was paid for through the township equipment pool. The Humvee was placed in service in June of 2001.

There has been much controversy related to this vehicle within and outside the fire department. But the fact is, the department needed to replace an aging vehicle and was able to raise the majority of the money to do so, ultimately costing the “taxpayers” only $14,000. We now own the vehicle and although it is 16 years old, is operating effectively. It will need a new fire pump in the near future, but otherwise should last for several years.

It is really not a matter of “need”. The department does need a brush truck and at the time, the administration felt that this purchase was the best solution to replace the 1978 unit.

Q.I have heard that we are building a new fire station. Is this true?
A.Not at this time. The current facility was built in 1972. In 1986 plans were developed to expand it on both sides to accommodate growth in the department. Those plans were never executed. Since then, we have built up the historical village on the north side. There is also a drain system that runs east to west on the north side. We also built the boulevard with underground systems on the south side of the station.

The fact is, the building and its systems are aging and will need significant updating in the future. The department has also outgrown the station as it has very limited storage, training and other functional space. In 2004 a needs assessment was performed by a third party firm experienced in fire station renovation and construction. Based on existing land issues, building infrastructure, flood plain requirements and other factors, the recommendation was that the community would be better off building a new facility (long term) rather than trying to renovate the existing one.

No decision has been made regarding this issue, there have been discussions held at town board meetings about it. Although it is not something that does not need to be dealt with today, it will need to be addressed in the near future. When that time comes, the individuals who will make that decision will at least have all of the data that has been collected over the last several years to make an educated decision.

Q.Why does the fire department need two ladder trucks?
A.It doesn’t today. However, in 1997 when our last ISO evaluation occurred, it was determined that we did. So when it came time to replace the two fire engines that were in service, administration decided to purchase the two ladder trucks. These trucks function as any other fire engine but also have an aerial ladder. This met the need of replacing the aging vehicles while helping with the community’s ISO rating.

Since purchasing these vehicles, Frankenmuth has purchased an aerial and Buena Vista purchased our original ladder truck. Based on that, we could eliminate one ladder truck. However, we would need to purchase another fire truck because our ISO rating requires that we maintain a minimum pump capacity as well as minimum amounts of tools, hose and water capacity.

The fire department has determined that it sell the Heavy Rescue (white truck) and one ladder truck, and purchase one unit that would serve both purposes. This would reduce the fleet by one vehicle and save a tremendous amount of money over the life of the vehicle (maintenance, insurance, equipment). Unfortunately, there are insufficient funds to make this happen in the near future.

In the meantime, we must maintain the fleet we have to insure our ISO rating does not increase to a point that our homeowners and business insurance rates increase.


Police Questions & Answers

Q. Can the Police Department follow-up on investigations by phone?
A. Some criminal complaints can be followed-up with a phone call. Most criminal investigations involve in depth investigation that require at times video taping of interviews which has to be done at the police department.

Q. Can the Police Department hire additional clerks to handle police investigations?
A. No-Police Investigations are handled by certified police officers-clerks are not certified nor are they trained in police investigations.

Q.Can the Police Department hire additional clerks to handle the paperwork that needs to be processed in the Police Department?
A.No-the paperwork that is generated by the officers can be handled by the clerk at the present time. The problem is the limited number of police officer (1officer per shift) in the police department (7 Police Officers) and the large volume of criminal complaints that the department handles.

Q. Why do the Police speed down my road?
A. They are responding to an emergency call for service. They do not always use their lights and sirens and sometimes turn the lights and siren off prior to arrival because they do not want people involved to know they are close by. If you feel that an officer is speeding or doing something they should not be, call the police department and speak to the Police Chief. Police officers are not exempt from traffic laws while traveling during routine patrol.

Q. What area within Bridgeport Township receives the most calls for Public Safety (Fire and Police)?
A. The north end of the Township (State St. North).

Q. Can reports be cut down when completing police reports - less information – less paperwork?
A. It depends on the type of criminal complaints-the police department does not investigate civil matters. The police investigate criminal matters and some are very short that require nothing more than a small investigation for record purposes. Most criminal investigations require extensive follow-up and investigation. All criminal cases require very specific information and proof of elements of the crime. The criminal complaint tells the story of the sequence of events that is alleged to have occurred. The investigation is then forwarded to the Saginaw County Prosecutors office where it is reviewed. The prosecutor makes the final decision if charges are authorized in the investigation.

Q. Can the Township justify purchasing a police Tahoe in place of the smashed Impala and how that would make sense?
A. Tahoe vs Impala-Tahoe is a much more durable vehicle. It is built on truck frame and is rear-wheel drive. We pay for Impalas over 3 years. The maintenance cost start to go up as the vehicle gets older and it is a front wheel drive sedan. We pay for a Tahoe over 5 years and the maintenance costs are held down because it is a truck. *(See Attached statement from Vincentric)

Q. Is the police Tahoe a 4 wheel drive?
A. The Tahoe is a 2 wheel drive.

Q. What is the gas mileage on the police Tahoe compared to the impala?
A. Using Federal Fuel Standard Combined City/Hwy-Impala-22 MPG. Tahoe-16 MPG. Police Vehicles are NOT driven on a daily basis the way Consumers drive their personal vehicles.

Q. Why have the calls for our Police Department increased over the years?
A. The Economic factors (Job Loss, Home Foreclosures, uncertainty about the future) are key factors in crime rates. When the economy takes a down turn crime increases.

Q. Does the Township Police Department need 9 or 10 Police Officers or can the Township stay with 8 total and hire part-time officers?
A. With this level of staffing it would eliminate the township not having an officer on-duty because they are tied up. There would be overlaps where we would have an officer in the township. Yes-I have hired part-time officers but with limited funding they are scheduled only on our busiest days.

Q. Can the Township require the career positions (with Police and Fire) to commit to working for their department for a period of time, example 5 years?
A. Yes. There are other areas that have successfully implemented employment contracts. Bridgeport is exploring this option now for all future hires’.

Q. Why can’t the state and county handle the Police Department?
A.The staffing levels at the Sheriffs Office as well as the State Police are down to very low levels. The Sheriff has said in the past they can not provide the same level of service as Bridgeport Police for the same amount of money. The State Police staffing levels have been cut state wide and they would not be able to respond to every call in Bridgeport Township. There are less police officers to do more work. Every police department is doing more with less.

Q. What type of calls is the Township receiving from the north end of Bridgeport?
A. All types-shootings, stabbings, B&Es, fights, theft, family fights drug deals and gang activity.

Q. Why does the City not provide overlap to the Township where the Township borders the City of Saginaw?
A. The City of Saginaw does NOT have authority in Bridgeport Township nor do Bridgeport Township Police officers have authority in the City of Saginaw.

Q. If the Township were to hire additional Police Officers where would the Township place the new Officers?
A. This would create overlap to ensure there was a police officer in the township 24 hours a day – 7 days a week but this depends on funding availability.

Q. How many calls come into the Police Department per day vs. night?
A. It depends on the day of the week-but our highest call volume is from 1500 (3pm) through about 0330 (3:30am).

Q. The Police department had 9,713 calls through central dispatch in 2009. From January 1, 2010 through July 1, 2010 the department has had 4,923 calls through central dispatch. Are those actual numbers?
A. Absolutely. This information is provided by Saginaw County Central Dispatch from their CAD system.

Q. Why does the Police Department not staff during peak times more than what we currently staff now?
A. The Police Department has 1 officer per shift each day. Officers work 12 hour shifts. We schedule the part-time officers to overlap on the busiest days. Usually on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. We do not have the staffing levels or funding at the present time to overlap all seven days.

Q. Why does the Police Department not do motorcycle or bike patrol?
A. The Township Police do bike patrol in our neighborhoods and business district but due to manpower and funding we are unable to provide that additional service to date.

Q. Why does the Township not have neighborhood watch within the area of concerns?
A. There are neighborhood watch groups within our community. More residents need to get involved in these groups as they are very effective.

Q. Why not put neighborhood watch signs up in the community?
A. We have placed signs in most of the neighborhoods. They have been vandalized or totally removed.

Q. How close does the Township Police Department work with neighborhood watch?
A. Officers and the Chief of Police work closely with the watch groups and attend neighborhood watch meetings as often as possible.

Q. Do we have and if not, why do we not have Auxiliary Police?
A. No- Not at this time. If we were to get to the staffing level needed we could hire Reserve Officers. Auxiliary Police officers must work with a certified police officer to have powers of arrest and official authority.

Q. How many Police Officers is the Township looking to hire full-time?
A. We would not be hiring Full-Time officers. With the millage proposal we would have the funding to hire possibly 2 additional Part-Time officers which would help create the overlap coverage in the township.

Q. If the Township was to look at hiring 2 additional Police Officers why not have Auxiliary Police Officers?
A. Auxiliary Police/Reserve officers are NOT certified police officers. They only have authority when they are working with a certified police officer. Hiring these types of officers does NOT bring the staffing level up in the department.

Q. If the Township hired 1 Police Officer then can the Township hire part-time Officers?
A. Possibly- if we were to get the staffing level needed in the police department part-time officers could be an asset.

Q. What percentage of vehicle calls (traffic) does the Township Police take?
A. Approximately-1/3rd of our calls are vehicle related, crashes/traffic law violations. We have seen at different times an increase in traffic crashes due to construction on Dixie Hwy. and with the Fort Road bridge being closed for construction.

Q. Why does the Township not have a detective in the Police Department?
A. The Township does have a detective who investigates all major crimes.

Q. How big of a problem is traffic related to problems in our Township?
A. There is a large volume of traffic in Bridgeport Township. But with limited staffing, traffic enforcement is handled as often as the officer is available.

Q. What functions could a Reserve Officer do to relieve a Police Officer?
A. None. They must be with a certified officer to work.

Q. What is the difference between a Reserve Officer and a Police Officer?
A. Reserve Officers are not licensed as certified police officers through the State of Michigan. In order to enforce the laws in the state you must be certified through MCOLES-(Michigan Commission On Law Enforcement Standards.)

Q. When a Police Officer is patrolling seat belt usage couldn’t the Township better use their time elsewhere?
A. When Police Officers are scheduled for seat belt control their wages are being reimbursed through grant monies. These Officers work the seat belt control off of their normal shift as to not pull an Officer from regular duty.

Q. What training does a Reserve Officer go through?
A. Approximately 160 Hours of training.

Q. Are Police Reserves armed with a gun or tasor?
A. They are only armed while on duty with another certified Police Officer present.

Q. What functions can a Reserve Officer do?
A. When working with a certified police officer he would follow the direction of that officer. He can be required to assist and also arrest at the direction of the officer.

Q. Why does the Township not have the Sheriffs department cover our law enforcement?
A. The sheriff can NOT provide the same level of service as the township does currently for the same amount of money.

Q. What areas do the Bridgeport State Police cover?
A. They are the State Police- they have state wide authority. Bridgeport MSP serves Saginaw County or anywhere in the state of Michigan they are directed to go.

Q. How does the police department set their shifts for the 7 officers?
A. 12 hour shifts offset with an 8 hour shift during 2 week pay period.

Q. How is the Township going to accomplish the backlog problem in the Police Department by hiring a Police Officer?
A. The Officers will be scheduled to provide overlap in coverage which will allow more time spent on follow up investigations, etc. which creates the backlog.

Q. When Police Department picks up an individual for court time from another area, what kind of follow-up is made in order to save time within our Police Department?
A. When officers pick-up prisoners on a Bridgeport case they have to document that movement from prison, county jail to Saginaw County in the report of the case it is dealing with.

Q. How many Police Officers does Birch Run have compared to Bridgeport Township?
A. Bridgeport has 7 plus a Chief. Birch Run has 5 full time officers, 2- part-time officers and 9 reserve officers.

Q. What is the call volume for Bridgeport Township with our Police Department compared to the City of Saginaw?
A. 2009 – Bridgeport-9713. 2009- the City of Saginaw- 68624

Q. Why does our Bridgeport Police have to transfer individuals from other communities?
A. Prisoners that are lodged in other areas need to be transferred to Saginaw for court. Being it is a Bridgeport case; Bridgeport Police are responsible to transfer the prisoner back to Saginaw for court.

Q. Can a delivery person serve subpoenas for our Police Department?
A. No.

Q. Why not pay our Police Department over-time wages as opposed to hiring additional Police Officers?
A. With 7 officers working 12 hours shifts it would only be a short term fix by paying over-time. You would over spend the budget to do this for an extended period of time. These officers would be working at times 24 hours which violates FLSA and with 7 officers they can NOT be forced to work more that 16 hours in a 24 Hour period.

Q Why not hire part-time Police Officers?
A. With the proper staffing level this could be done in the future.

Q. How many spill over calls does Bridgeport Police Officers handle?
A. 90%

Q. Could we hire our laid off Police Officer instead of hiring 2 more full-time and why not opt to hire 4 part-time Police Officers?
A.That’s part of what we are trying to do-Recall the laid off officer and hire to additional full-time police officers.

Q. What does it cost to outfit a Police Officer?
A. $7,800

Q. If the Township had more Police Officers wouldn’t it require more court time?
A. It is possible. But with proper staffing levels it would relieve the possibility of no officer being available in the township.

Q. Why does Bridgeport Township Police Officers have to serve subpoenas in the Township?
A. They are required to do so by law.

Q. How many days on an average in a weeks time does the Township go without Police Officers during the day time?
A. 3 – 4 days but it varies on a weekly basis and this usually occurs Monday through Friday.

Q. How does the Township find time to set up speed traps or perform seatbelt enforcement?
A. Federal monies are reimbursed to the Township with reimbursement of Police Officer wages. These are routinely joint efforts between the police departments in the County.

Q. Why would an officer be parked in Buena Vista?
A. There could be several reasons. He could be meeting with BV to pass on information, attempting to locate a suspect, or attempting to arrest someone on warrants.

Q. Why does the Township have a Detective?
A. This police department handles very serious life felony complaints that involve extensive knowledge and training. When our officers handle a complaint like this it is turned over to our detective for the technical and in-depth follow-up these cases demand.

Q. Is our Detective still doing undercover work?
A. Absolutely, when investigating stolen property and other cases he conducts those investigations and numerous other investigations which require some stealth and surveillance.

Q. If Bridgeport Police Officer was not available for a call what happens?
A. If the call is a true emergency that needs to be handled right now, another officer either from another community, Michigan State Police, or the Sheriff’s Department would be dispatched. A non-emergency call would wait in a queue until a Township Officer is able to respond.

We still want to hear your voice. Use the form here to offer your comments.

You may contact the following individuals:

Township Manager Rose Licht at 777-0940
Fire Chief Patrick Nelson at 777-2400
Police Chief AJ Navidonski at 777-2800.

You are encouraged to attend one or more of the scheduled public forums scheduled for October. Click here for information.

Attend the October 5th or 19thTown Board meetings.