Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue on Thursday announced adoption of a regional policing model designed to provide increased services while relying less upon traditional “bricks and mortar” post buildings.
The plan emphasizes enhanced technology and data-driven policing without laying off a single trooper.
Under the regional policing plan, the MSP will reduce the number of posts from 62 to 29.
Twenty-nine posts will remain fully operational, including Niles for Berrien and Cass counties; 12 posts will become detachments, including White Pigeon in St. Joseph County; and 21 posts are slated for closure, including Bridgman.
Paw Paw, the Fifth District headquarters in Van Buren County, also remains fully operational.
Troopers will be deployed throughout the state from posts, detachments and as resident troopers.
Posts will remain fully operational and open to the public while detachments will serve as buildings where troopers can start and end their shifts, accomplish administrative tasks and meet with the public by appointment.
Detachments are not open for regular business hours.
Resident troopers are assigned to rural areas of the state and work directly from their home.
“The MSP is confident that service levels will either be unchanged or enhanced given the increased flexibility in deployment and scheduling provided by this regional policing plan,” Kibbey Etue said.
“The department may look different, but our mission is clear: we will continue to provide public safety while respecting the rights and dignity of all persons.
“Michigan is a much different state today than when the MSP was established nearly a century ago. The new regional post locations were selected for their strategic locations in the region, their long-term structural viability and for their ability to accept new technology.”
The MSP will implement technologies that provide a mobile office environment, allowing troopers to perform many administrative duties directly from their patrol cars.
Mobile computing capabilities will be expanded to provide patrol vehicles with the ability to electronically process ticketing and traffic crash data, as well as link real time information from from the roadside to the courts.
“The plan allows the MSP to be both more responsive to emerging crime trends and less constrained by traditional geographic boundaries,” Kibbey Etue said.
Implementation of this plan will help the department meet a $20.7 million general fund reduction in the FY12 executive budget.
For more information on the plan, click on the regional policing plan link on the left side of the MSP Web page at
www.michigan.gov./msp.