If it’s not illegal, immoral or unethical, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office will give Clarkston residents any type of police service they want.
That was the message of Undersheriff Mike McCabe as he spoke to the Clarkston Police Committee Wed., April 18.
‘We provide services based on the needs of the particular communities we go into,? said McCabe. ‘So Rochester Hills with 70,000 people is obviously not going to be comparable to Royal Oak Township with 2,800 people. They are two totally diverse, different communities with different needs.?
As the Clarkston Police Department undergoes personnel changes, acting Chief Jim Thompson has proposed reinstating the department’s midnight shift, which is currently contracted to the OCSO through a subcontract with Independence Township.
Although Thompson claims the city could save money and improve service by reverting to a 24-hour department, the city council voted to hold off on a decision until the police committee presents its findings in May.
The OCSO provides service to 15 communities and maintains 12 substations, accounting for the police protection of about 280,000 people’roughly 23 percent of Oakland County’s population, said McCabe.
‘We’re cost effective, because with 15 communities we eliminate duplication services,? said McCabe, who joined the OCSO as a patrolman in 1977. ‘You don’t have 15 police chiefs, you have one; it’s the sheriff.?
The same holds true, he said, for command staffs, dispatch centers, records bureaus and so forth.
In addition, he said, each community is indemnified’a city or township cannot be sued for the perceived or real wrongdoing of any Oakland County deputy.
The OCSO began offering police services more than 50 yearsago, McCabe told the committee, and has never lost a contract.
‘There’s a clause in the contract that if you don’t like what we do you can fire us,? he said. ‘But our deputies do go the extra mile because they know we could be here today gone tomorrow.?
Providing lockout service, he said, is one example.
‘A lot of community police departments don’t do it anymore because they think its too much of a hassle,? he said. ‘They don’t want officers wasting time on small things like that. But if you lock your keys in the car, it’s a big thing to you.?
McCabe also wanted to make it clear that the OCSO was not looking to run the Clarkston Police Department out of town.
‘The sheriff doesn’t go out and solicit contacts and say ‘hey, we want to take your police department over,?? he said, pointing out that he was asked to come to the meeting to answer questions about service. ‘We’ve never done that and we never will do that.?
‘We’re not in the business of taking over local police departments.?
However, he said, if Clarkston wants the facts and figures in order to make an educated decision, the sheriff’s office would be happy to provide that information.
The cost for the service’the OCSO has proposed giving the city a 40-hour sergent to act as the city’s de-facto police chief’would run the city about $140,000, once the Independence Township adds in an extra 10 percent administration fee for providing the subcontract..
Policing above and beyond that 40 hours would come from deputies contracted to the township.
However, police committee member Tom Stone asked McCabe to sit down with Clarkston City Manager Art Pappas to discuss current city policing and deliver dollar figures for providing similar policing.
‘I don’t see how we can possibly make a judgment with out comparable data,? said Stone. ‘And that would require (the OCSO) to be fully aware of current services provided in this community, regardless of the quality of that service, and to give us figures for providing the same services. Otherwise we’re comparing apples and oranges.?
Although some city officials and residents have expressed a concern over getting nothing more than a ‘drive-through? service by the OCSO, McCabe contends that municipalities policed by the department are his best advocates.
‘Mike McCabe sounds like a used car salesman when he talks,? said Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘I thought a lot of what he said was too good to be true. But I’ll tell you, he’s delivered on every single promise he ever made.?
The police committee will present findings and recommendations to the city council in May, after the compilation of data from the various committee meetings, a public hearing and a survey that went out to residents and businesses last month is complete.