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News
News
By Allison Joy
IRON RIVER — The Iron River Police Department will spend $22,033 to sponsor the training of a new police officer. The plan was approved unanimously by the Iron River City Council at its Feb. 16 general meeting.
City Manager Rachel Andreski explained that the city had applied for a grant to cover the cost of sponsorship. While she stressed there was “no guarantee” the grant funds would come through, she also said there were monies available in the police department’s budget. If the candidate does not complete the program, he is responsible for all associated costs.
Recruiting law enforcement officers is a struggle for agencies throughout the state. A deep dive done by the Reporter last August into the hiring crunch found that local police departments and sheriff offices throughout the U.P. were either employing similar recruitment strategies to entice candidates, or at least toying with the idea.
The primary driving force for the shortage, according to Lt. Kenneth Love of the Regional Training Academy at Northern Michigan University, is a silver tsunami of retirees that effects an array of industries. Rural areas like the U.P. are particularly hard hit because the lack of population growth means there are few young up-and-comers to replace those stepping down.
Competition for young talent is fierce, and more and more graduating cadets are already sponsored by an agency, meaning they won’t enter the job market.
With open positions across the state — as of March 3 there were almost 200 open positions posted to the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards website — rural communities struggle to compete with wages.
Last August, Love said enrollment remained steady while estimating that over half of his 22 cadets intended to move downstate for employment.
“What’s interesting is, if you talk to some kids that went through the academy six or seven years ago and wanted to stay in the U.P., we were lucky to have five or six openings a year in the U.P.,” Love said. “Now, some departments have three or four openings … There are dozens of [law enforcement] jobs available in the U.P.”
Prior to the vote on sponsorship, Iron River Police Chief Curt Harrington informed the city council at the February meeting that a part-time police officer had resigned.
As Andreski informed the council, a young candidate currently employed with the Michigan Department of Corrections and working online toward his associate’s degree in criminal justice approached Harrington to voice interest in joining the Iron River police force. Harrington called the individual an “excellent candidate” before recommending the council move forward with the sponsorship.
The board also addressed the following matters at its February general meeting:
• During public comment, the board heard from Kathy Tipler on concerns over a rising homelessness problem in Iron County, driven by the housing crisis, a lack of mental health resources and drug abuse.
• Foreman Nick Karnack of the Department of Public Works informed the council that, at Mineral Hills, four water mains have broken within 300 yards of each other over the past two years, including a Feb. 6 main break in Stambaugh. He is hoping to secure a water-related infrastructure grant from the Michigan Economic Development Council to address the issue.
• The board voted unanimously to create a committee to evaluate revamping the Attic event venue to “restore [it] to its former grandeur.”
• The board voted to approve the 2022 Capital Improvements Plan, with four ayes and Councilmember Ben Garcia absent. Regarding the plan, Andreski noted that the sewer project did not meet standards set by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and that the planning commission would like to see work done between East Genesse Street and U.S. 2. She also said sidewalks will be done from River Street to the bottom of Stambaugh Hill. The plan is eligible to be amended at a later date.
The Iron River City Council holds its general meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 4:30 on the second floor of City Hall.