By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey told the 15 or so residents who attended Monday night's Niles Township board meeting his goal is to provide Niles Township residents the best policing he can provide using the seven existing sheriff's department employees who will be earmarked to work in Niles Township.
Earlier this month, Niles Township officials voted to disban its police department and contract with Bailey to provide policing services in Niles Township. That move came after voters rejected a two-mill levy request to fund the Niles Township Police Department.
The township will be paying the Berrien County Sheriff's Department for the equipment used and its manpower to protect the citizens of the township.
Bailey said he has talked to Niles City Police Chief Ric Huff and Michigan State Police Niles Post Commander F/Lt. Michael Brown about working together, just as the Niles Township Police Department has worked with them.
For a non-emergency call, the dispatch officers will send either the closest Sheriff's Department or Michigan State Police car to the scene.
This same thing is done in the rest of the counties non-incorporated township areas which the sheriff's department services.
The same goes for an emergency 911 call, the closest car will be dispatch to the scene, he said.
Bailey said he has worked it out where seven sheriff's deputies will be permanently assigned to cover the Niles Township area. Those seven deputies are Sgt. Tim Ganus of Buchanan, Sgt. Randall Miller of Niles, Donald Lighthart Jr. of Niles, Kelly Bates of Buchanan, James “Terry” Ellis of the Howard Township area of Niles, Thomas Simpson of Buchanan and Roger Johnson of Berrien Springs.
The deputies will be based out of the Sheriff's sub-station at the Berrien County South County Building on North Front Street in Niles.
There will be two cars on during the day, three on during the afternoon and two on at night, the sheriff said.
He also said he has worked with Huff and Brown to lodge prisoners his deputies arrest in the township in the Niles Law Enforcement Complex, as it would take them off the road if they had to drive them up to the jail in St. Joseph.
All seven of the deputies will be trained as to the booking procedures at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex.
Currently, Sgt. Michael Wood of the Niles Township Police Department has been unable to cover the midnight shift with the number of personnel he has.
Bailey has temporarily assigned two deputies to cover this shift in the Niles Township area until the county takes over full services on Jan. 1, 2006.
Bailey also addressed one of his officers will attend one Niles Township board meeting each month to report on the number of complaints taken, tickets written and arrests made in the township.
At the next Niles Township Board meeting, Bailey hopes to bring all of the deputies assigned to the Niles Township area to meet the board and any citizens in attendance.
Bailey said the Sheriff's Department will offer the same services as the Niles Township Police Department has including property checks. He also said they are looking to keep the neighborhood watch groups already formed going as well.
As for the current Niles Township Police Department employees, including the full-time, part-time and reserves, they have been given the option to apply for employment with the department.
The full-time and part-time have the option of applying for deputy positions in the jail and the reserves can apply to become a Sheriff's Department reserve officer.
When the Sheriff's Department takes over, they will acquire all the equipment which the current township police department owns, including two of the township's Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars. The remaining vehicles will either be used by the township in some way or sold.
Bailey encouraged the Niles Township board and residents of the township to give him a call if they have any questions as to the service they will be getting from his department.
Ringler said when the township originally moved its police department to the law enforcement complex, it was given one price, which greatly escalated during its time there.
The second reason for the board's decision, Ringler said, was the dispatch fee, “which kept rising.”
In other business Monday night, the board approved purchasing four turn-out jackets for the Niles Township Fire Department at a cost of $2,672.
Niles Township Fire Chief Gary Brovold requested the purchase of the jackets as some of the older ones need replacing and he would also like to see the department have matching gear all by the same manufacturer.
The board also approved the installation of a heating system in the fourth bay at the departments new fire station.
The system is to be installed by VanderWerf at a cost of $5,845. VanderWerf was not the lowest bidder for the job, but won the bid as they were able to install the system more quickly than the lowest bidder.
A concern for the system needing to be put in is the department's foam for fighting various types of fires is stored in the bay, officials said.