It appears Oxford Village officials favor the idea of hiring an additional police officer to offset their portion of the $136,677 debt to the U.S. Department of Justice.
At last week’s council meeting, officials spoke favorably, but took no action, regarding the possibility of hiring a fourth full-time village police officer to satisfy the $31,435.71 the village owes for misused Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant monies paid to the Oxford Emergency Safety Authority in the mid-to-late 1990s.
“I’m entirely satisfied,” said Councilman Dave Bailey, referring to the idea.
The federal COPS grant was supposed to be used by the now-defunct, joint township-village police department to hire new, additional officers. However, the Justice Department determined the money was instead used to replace local funding of existing officers – an improper practice known as “supplanting.”
To rectify this outstanding matter, the Justice Department sent officials an Oct. 9 letter giving them the choice – either repay the full $136,677 owed or spend that amount to hire additional police officers.
Township officials are exploring the possibility of dedicating funds equal to their share of the debt ($105,241.29) toward hiring an additional full-time Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy next year, something they had already planned to do regardless of the COPS debt situation.
Village officials discussed adding a full-time officer to their department to offset their share of the COPS debt, which amounts to $31,435.71.
“I think this is an opportunity that rather than taking money out of the community, it’s investing money back into the community,” said council President Steve Allen. “I appreciate the fact they (the Justice Department) were willing to take a second look at this and allow the funds to be used for what they initially were supposed to be used for rather than just writing a check and sending it back to the federal government.”
“It’s been the desire of this community to pick up a fourth full-time police officer for quite some time and I think this fulfills a need that we’ve had for a long time,” the president added.
Allen said hiring a fourth full-time officer will allow the department’s other three full-time officers to “cut back” on “some of the long hours” and “fill-ins” they’re currently working.
“It’s hard to backfill when you have three (full-timers),” he said.
Councilwoman Renee Donovan expressed her support for hiring another officer.
“I feel quite comfortable with that,” she said. “I do very much like the visible police in our neighborhoods.”
Donovan said she likes the fact that she’s observed village officers talking to children who “aren’t necessarily behaving” and providing traffic control on local streets. She also noted the village department’s recent accomplishments such as Oct. 28 conviction of the Pontiac man responsible the April 18 robbery of the Heckle & Jeckle Party Store and the Oct. 11 drug bust on East St.
“I don’t see our officers dropping people off in our parking lot,” Donovan said. “That one’s a real sore spot.”
The councilwoman’s last comment refers to an Oct. 19 incident in which a suspect who was dropped off at the Oxford Meijer (where Donovan works) by an Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy allegedly knifed a man sitting in the store’s parking lot.
Donovan expressed one reservation about hiring additional officers to offset the COPS debt.
“My only concern is that should we do this, we look at carefully where the funding would come from for the township to provide additional protection – that it not come out of the General Fund,” she said.
The township’s use of General Fund monies to pay for police protection in 2000 led to a legal battle between the two governments because village taxpayers contribute to that fund and pay a separate millage amount to support their own police department.
Manager Mark Slown also favored hiring another village officer.
“I think this would be a really good solution to the situation,” he told council.