Mo' cops mo' problems

[Balog]

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/03/small_town_big_problem_lawsuit.html#incart_river_default

Small town in Michigan is losing its insurance because of the cost of lawsuits filed against it. No idea if this is a corrupt local .gov or a series of frivolous suits. However, one thing in this article really stood out to me.

Total village population is 300. Local PD has 100(!) reserve officers. Assuming normal population distribution curves for family vs singles, this seems like virtually every household in the village has at least one reserve officer in it? Seems wonky to me. Any Michiganders able to comment on what's going on here?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/03/see_the_5_lawsuits_between_oak.html
seems like it goes back a while

[TechMan]

Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.  I live 1 square mile city (in OH) and we don't have no where near that many reserve officers. 

[AJ Dual]

Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.  I live 1 square mile city (in OH) and we don't have no where near that many reserve officers. 

My gut feeling is this. Skeezy/sleazy, with everyone being reserve officers, due to whatever power, privileges, or some as to yet undisclosed benefit they get from the status. And just a good-ol-boy network.

However, maybe not overtly criminal or fraudulent.

[KD5NRH]

Might just be covering some technicality for when they need a S&R team.  If it's that rural, then everybody probably knows the area pretty well.  Offer some basic training and sign them on as reserves so you can get funding to supply radios, etc.

[MechAg94]

I guess I was thinking about celebrity reserve officers or people designated as reserve who don't live there. 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

My read is the reserve officers fund the police force. Pay up and get a badge. Why that would be a lot like a citizen militia. Kinda all libertarian like

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[T.O.M.]

Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.  I live 1 square mile city (in OH) and we don't have no where near that many reserve officers. 

If it is the one-square mile city I am thinking of, I may not know about the current state of the pokice department,  but in my youth it had some great men wearing a badge for the city.

[TechMan]

Cheviot is my current residence.

[TechMan]

Two thoughts:  Would the reserve officers be covered by LEOSA?  Also, are the reserve officers part of the state retirement system?

[T.O.M.]

Cheviot is my current residence.

Oops.  Wrong one. Sorry .

[TechMan]

Oops.  Wrong one. Sorry .

Which one were you thinking of?

[cordex]

Two thoughts:  Would the reserve officers be covered by LEOSA?  Also, are the reserve officers part of the stat retirement system?

Depends. In my area, some jurisdictions' reserves are sworn law enforcement with coverage under LEOSA. Others are essentially volunteer traffic directors with no arrest power or qualified immunity. Seems to me that if these are authorized to be armed officers by the city, they are probably full LEOs, but I don't know that for certain.

As Balog says, it is hard to pass judgement on their program without a little more information, but their abnormally high rate of lawsuits seems to indicate a training problem at minimum. In this case, my first thought is good ol boy network rather than libertarian paradise, but it could go either way, I suppose.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

what was that "rate of law suits"
4 with one entity? are there other suits?

[Tallpine]

My read is the reserve officers fund the police force. Pay up and get a badge. Why that would be a lot like a citizen militia. Kinda all libertarian like

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I was wondering if it was a way to essentially hand out CCW permits 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I was wondering if it was a way to essentially hand out CCW permits 

No way for me to know but it would certainly be a great incentive to donate
Plus you show id when running 85 in a 70 on the way to Disney World

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[lee n. field]

I was wondering if it was a way to essentially hand out CCW permits 

CCW is difficult to get in MI?

[AJ Dual]

CCW is difficult to get in MI?

There used to be a panel or board you had to go in front of and MI was kinda/sorta middling-fair "may issue" until only a few years back IIRC...

[Tallpine]

CCW is difficult to get in MI?

Could just be a pro-2A chief that was working around state law 

Just like MT has a law that says if you are legal owner then you are "permitted" in regard to the school zone ban.

[GigaBuist]

There used to be a panel or board you had to go in front of and MI was kinda/sorta middling-fair "may issue" until only a few years back IIRC...

Nah, we went shall-issue in 2001.  Since then requirements ave only been relaxed.

We do still have county "gun boards" that comprise three people, one being the county prosecutor, and they have the OPTION of having people come in for a questioning before getting their permit but it is rarely done.  My county (Ottawa) is the only one I know of where EVERYBODY has to come in; because our prosecutor is a prick about CCW.

As far as what's going on "over there" -- no idea.  Basically that whole region, which is where my wife is from, is referred to, even by her, as "scum of the thumb."  An economically depressed sh*thole, basically.  While in Saginaw earlier this year we saw a hand made sign on a liquor store that said, "NOW EXCEPTING WIC" and I commented to my wife, "Isn't it nice living in the area of the state where we have things jobs... and books?"

No amount of violent, stupidity, or corruption would surprise me.

[Tallpine]

Nah, we went shall-issue in 2001.  Since then requirements ave only been relaxed.

We do still have county "gun boards" that comprise three people, one being the county prosecutor, and they have the OPTION of having people come in for a questioning before getting their permit but it is rarely done.  My county (Ottawa) is the only one I know of where EVERYBODY has to come in; because our prosecutor is a prick about CCW.

As far as what's going on "over there" -- no idea.  Basically that whole region, which is where my wife is from, is referred to, even by her, as "scum of the thumb."  An economically depressed sh*thole, basically.  While in Saginaw earlier this year we saw a hand made sign on a liquor store that said, "NOW EXCEPTING WIC" and I commented to my wife, "Isn't it nice living in the area of the state where we have things jobs... and books?"

No amount of violent, stupidity, or corruption would surprise me.

Your wife was born in Saginaw, Michigan 

 

[zxcvbob]

Your wife was born in Saginaw, Michigan 

 

They call her "Lefty"

[Tallpine]

They call her "Lefty"

And her dad was a poor hardworking Saginaw fisherman.

[AJ Dual]

"scum of the thumb." 

 

I'm going to have to remember that one, and use it for Door county, or Wisconsin's "thumb". But it'll have the exact opposite connotation. As that area is largely tourism/resorts/boating for Chicago and the area is WI's attempt at "wine country". (minus that whole little "winter problem" we have up here...  )

So, you're going on a wine-tasting tour in Door county? Gonna go hang with the scum of the thumb, huh? 

[GigaBuist]

Your wife was born in Saginaw, Michigan 

 

I don't get the joke.  But she was actually born in Germany, moved to Kentucky after a few months, then to Vassar, MI (close to Saginaw) when she was 10.