U.S. Attorney meets with local law enforcement
HILLSDALE — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark A. Totten visited Hillsdale County Tuesday, Nov. 14, where he met with local police officials, prosecutors, and other key figures to continue building relationships.
Totten was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney in Western District of Michigan on May 5, 2022, and has since spent time traveling to all 49 counties in his jurisdiction to foster relationships between his office and local criminal justice partners.
One of his stops Tuesday included conversations with Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott Hodshire where they discussed challenges with policing with limited resources.
“We’re committed to helping all of our counties, within the scope of our authority and helping where we can make the most difference,” Totten said. “In the area of illegal drugs, we’re focused on disrupting the larger supply lines that bring these poisons into our communities.”
Totten said these large scale operations has an indirect effect on the issues in Hillsdale County by disrupting supply lines in urban areas.
“Our work around protecting children from exploitation is another area where we can and are helping Hillsdale County,” Totten said. “Just recently we secured a 50-year sentence against Jonesville resident Tye Stiger, who preyed on multiple young girls and then fled the country.”
Totten’s office was instrumental in working with federal law enforcement officials and Filipino authorities to extradite Stiger from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, where Stiger fled to after police began an investigation into multiple incidents of crimes against children and producing child pornography.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is also focused on violent crime, especially related to federal firearm offenses, Totten said.
“We use this broad authority to especially focus on people who are active shooters — who have demonstrated they’re willing to pull a trigger — and also those engaged in illegal arms trafficking,” Totten said.
Fostering direct relationships with local law enforcement officers has been a top priority for Totten since he took office in May 2022.
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“The vast majority of these counties are rural with no major urban area,” Totten said. “We care about every county and it’s been a priority of mine to make sure we’re building relationships with law enforcement partners everywhere, so they know who I am, the work we do, and are comfortable picking up the phone and running cases by us. Everyone I’ve met has my cell number.”
Totten called Hillsdale County a gorgeous place to live and enjoyed traveling through the county while he met with Hodshire, Hillsdale City Police Chief Scott Hephner and leadership from Domestic Harmony and the courts.
“It was clear the county has many people committed to protecting the community and making it a better place to live,” Totten said. “We have lots of challenges – Hillsdale County and every part of my district – for sure. But I was also impressed by the commitment I saw.”
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: U.S. Attorney meets with local law enforcement
