Genoa Township resident advocates for dedicated police service

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Kurt Skarjune is advocating for a Genoa Township police force or for the township to contract with the Livingston County Sheriff's Office for dedicated patrols.

GENOA TWP. — A township resident who has been advocating for officials to institute their own police force or contract with the sheriff's office for nearly a decade recently took his concerns to the township board once again with little success.

Kurt Skarjune, 67, a retired Oak Park police officer, moved to Genoa Township in 2011. He said he was surprised to learn that there was not a township police department nor a dedicated police service.

He took his concerns to the township board in 2015, and has kept the issue alive since, going before the board once again Sept. 19, citing data about response times and other township police services.

"Nothing happened seven years ago and, as it stands right now, it doesn't look to me like anything is going to happen again," he said.

Township Manager Mike Archinal said it doesn't seem like a Genoa Township police department is necessary.

"I've been here 24 years. I have just not received a lot of requests for police or any complaints that our coverage is inadequate," he said.

Archinal said the township has never formally studied what a department would cost, but police departments typically are expensive.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy, whose department covers some of the police protection for the township, said Skarjune's idea may have merit.

"I'm always in favor of a little more police presence because that pays dividends down the road with crime, quicker response times and truly building more community relations," he said.

Skarjune's biggest concern is how long it can take officers from the Michigan State Police or the Sheriff's Office to respond in the township. He said it can take 16 to 36 minutes for a response, according to his data.

Skarjune compiled a report he provided the township board. In it, he outlines the importance of establishing a contract with the Livingston County Sheriff's Office for dedicated coverage in Genoa Township.

In the report, he also claims there are only two townships among 49 in the state with populations higher than 19,000 that have no dedicated police force: Genoa and Brighton townships.

In July, Skarjune said, Genoa Township reported 263 calls.

Skarjune's statistics show that Genoa Township accounted for 20% of the Sheriff's Office calls in July and 21% of MSP calls. Howell and Brighton townships each accounted for 11% of sheriff's calls while Brighton totaled 28% of MSP calls.

Murphy said Genoa Township response times are not much longer than other areas because the closest available officer is dispatched to a township when a call comes in.

And Archinal said response times don't appear to be a major issue; he has not received any complaints from residents regarding response times.

At the Oct. 3 township board meeting, Archinal presented the number of calls for police service handled by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Genoa Township, as well as the amount of property taxes township residents pay to the county.

Genoa Township had the most calls for police service among the townships in the county — 1,648. The next closest township was Howell Township with 913.

Even though Genoa Township had the most calls, Genoa Township was also paying the highest total in county taxes for all county services among townships — just over $4.4 million. However, Genoa Township was in the middle of the townships for county taxes paid divided by the number of calls.

"It's a little bit of a false narrative to equate the number of runs with the population," Archinal said.

Because of the high number of calls, Murphy said, there are usually patrol cars already in Genoa Township when they receive calls.

"The likelihood that there's a patrol car — whether it's us or MSP — in that township is pretty good," he said.

Board trustee Diana Lowe said she feels safe in Genoa Township and doesn't see a need for a police department or enhanced police services, according to draft minutes from the Monday meeting.

Skarjune said he's been communicating with other township residents through the app Nextdoor, and many of them have been expressing similar concerns regarding lack of police presence.

Sophia Lada is a reporter for the Livingston Daily. Contact her at slada@gannett.com or 517-377-1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Genoa Township resident advocates for dedicated police service