INSIDE
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REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
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Part 2
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some helpful information. “Hart, Pentwater, Shelby, The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent New Era, Rothbury and Walkerville all have a local This is the second of police department with three articles focusing on full-time and/or part-time members of our commu- officers. Hesperia contracts nity who, although they are with the Sheriff’s office for not celebrated as tradition- coverage.” But he clarified al superheroes, neverthe- that having full-time offiless, every day that goes by, cers did not mean 24-hour they are heroes in some- coverage. “If our local ofone’s life. They deserve our ficer’s shift ends at 2 a.m. attention, our applause and and the next morning shift a token of our support. Last begins at 8 a.m., we have six week we focused on cor- hours a day that need to be rectional officers. For May covered by the Sheriff’s de11-17, we focus on police partment.” Sheriff Craig Mast conofficers. firmed that “the Sheriff’s If you are cruising at 85+ mph on US-31 and see a po- Department is the only law lice car in the median with enforcement agency in the a radar gun aimed at you, county that has deputies on it will probably evoke a dif- duty 24 hours a day, seven ferent response than seeing days a week. Our departa police car responding to ment has 25 road patrol an altercation at the house officers who work 12-hour next door. But the truth is, shifts, four days (or nights) someone’s safety is at risk on and then four days (or in both instances. In Ocea- nights) off. Both local police na County we are fortunate and state police rely on our to be served by three differ- department for coverage ent levels of police officers: when their own deputies local deputies, the county are off duty.” “Local departments sheriff’s deputies, and the focus on the enforcement state of Michigan troopers stationed at the Hart post. of local ordinances (such One might question what as blight, noise, disorderly their different responsibili- public behavior, short term ties are, how they cooperate rental, etc.) and state law in with each other, or can they their town,” Hartrum said. get in each other’s way? Do “The sheriff’s department all cities, towns and villag- and state police cover the es in the county have their out-county and non-incorporated areas that have no own police department? Pentwater Police Chief local officers.” Medical help Laude Hartrum shared from the first responders is sent through Central Dispatch. Incidents that occur in the out-county are handled by the sheriff’s office and state police. Hartrum explained, “When a shooting is involved or a violent family dispute is reported, the situation is a ‘closest car’ response. Dispatch sends out the call to everyone, and any officers in the area respond to the call.” Although the state police station is located in Hart, their post area consists of four counties: Lake, Mason, Newaygo
NATIONAL POLICE OFFICERS WEEK: MAY 11-17
and Oceana. State officers are assigned to individual counties. Sgt. Dan Thomas at the state police post said, “We have 43 officers at this post, 38 of whom are on road patrol. The majority of our cases are crimes against persons or property crimes. That includes domestic disputes, sexual assaults, drug crimes, larcenies and some fraud.” “There are no hard boundaries on what the local, county, and state officers can or cannot handle,” Hartrum affirms. “Cases will be dispatched to the department that has jurisdiction, but the availability of resources will normally determine how cases are processed. We recognize that proficiency develops through repetitive doing, and we know the county deputies and state troopers handle some kinds of things far more frequently than local officers do. We have violence here, just less of it. It makes sense to work together on some cases.” To foster cooperative working relationships and to learn from each other, all the local police chiefs from Hart, Pentwater, Shelby, New Era, Rothbury and Walkerville meet monthly and rotate meeting locations among their towns. What’s on their agenda? “We organize some special events we put on together, we discuss contracts, we talk about program costs and how to pay for things, municipal concerns, code enforcement, and school officers.” Sheriff Mast reports that his office hosts quarterly meetings with all the police chiefs in the county to discuss events and issues of common concern. “It’s important to maintain good relationships. We work together with local and state deputies all the time.” A few years ago, they worked together to seek a grant for Crisis Intervention
Training, a 40-hour program to help officers identify mental health problems and learn about some drugs that could be helpful. “We have now had 40 officers complete this training,” Hartrum reported. “We also have mental health consultants, three master-level mental health clinicians, who work in the jails with corrections officers in Oceana, Mason, and Lake counties to assist in dealing with mental health issues. Their sole job is to divert inmates with mental health issues out of jail and into mental health facilities.” Hartrum is convinced that having cooperative working relationships with other agencies and knowing how to speak with people in a non-threatening way are the most important things for successful police work. Relationships are developed through communication. Casual conversation with residents helps generate good connections between officers and the community. Mast said, “We encourage our deputies to attend school events with their families and to wear their uniforms at events. It’s healthy to be seen as a normal part of the community.” It was interesting to explore the source of motivation for entering law enforcement work because many similarities were apparent. Hart Chief of Police Juan Salazar, said he worked summers at Silver Lake State Park while he was in high school. “I met many officers there who I respected and admired. They really loved their work and it inspired me to consider it as well.” Salazar was born in Shelby, and grew up in Hart, graduating from Hart High School be-
fore taking classes at West Shore College and the police academy. He spent two years as a corrections officer before getting hired as a Hart police office in 2007. Nine years later he was appointed as police chief. How has that lifelong connection impacted his work? With a smile, he says, “Both good and bad. It’s wonderful to know so many people in the community and to have their trust. At the same time, some long-time acquaintances assume I will let them get away with things for which they should be charged.” The most rewarding thing for him is helping family and friends. Similarly, what motivated Thomas was the desire to help people in need and “offer a guiding light when someone needs it to find their way.” Mast shared, “When I was a kid, I saw good role models in law enforcement who motivated me to pursue police work.” Reflecting on the biggest challenges also revealed uniformity of thought. The challenges all revolve around drugs, mental health, and social media. Mast bemoans the change in recreational drug use. “We used to focus on marijuana use. Now charges are involved only if the drug is stolen goods or if someone is driving impaired under its influence. Instead, we are focused on much more deadly recreational drugs: methamphetamine and fentanyl. Every day, every shift, my officers are dealing with the scourge of meth. All officers carry the means to reverse a fentanyl overdose. But often it is not administered in time to prevent death. Recreational has become lethal.”
Mental health issues have already been mentioned above. They were also underscored last week by Lt. Mark Schneider, who heads the Department of Corrections. Both Mast and Hartrum regret that law enforcement does not have the skills to diagnose or solve mental health issues, and the community does not have enough facilities to safely house people with mental health issues. “Sometimes we need to send mentally ill inmates to Indiana because we don’t have safe spaces here in Michigan.” Social media has undermined police work in more ways than one. Thomas said, “Sometimes a suspect gets tipped off by social media and is gone before we can reach him.” “People who listen to police scanners sometimes notify families of accident or crime victims or even blast the news instantaneously on social media before we have the opportunity to notify them,” Hartrum noted. “It works to undermine the community’s trust in the police. First impression judgements can be in error and are nearly impossible to change.” Despite the many challenges of police work, the residents of Oceana County are very fortunate to have law enforcement officers at every level who have long tenures. Hartrum has been in police work for 40 years. Salazar has been in police work for 20 years. This fall, Thomas will have been in police work for 25 years. Mast has been in police work for 32 years. Three cheers for each of them and for every officer who works in our county! Thank you for your service.
Semi-finalists for Asparagus Queen announced
On Thursday, May 8, the 2025 Asparagus Queen candidates met at the Hart Area Public Library to charm a panel of three judges and show what would make them the best choice to become this year’s Asparagus Queen. After careful deliberation and a tough decision, the judges panel narrowed the candidates to a group of five semi-finalists. These semi-finalists are (in alphabetical order): • Claire Gowell, who is sponsored by Fleming Farms • Olivia Porter, who is sponsored by Excel Propane • Shelby Purdy, who is sponsored by Reeman Farm Supply of Fremont
• Kaitlyn Sutton, who is sponsored by Farmhouse, Kitchen and Market • Haley Walsworth, who is sponsored by Golden Stock Farms The chosen semi-finalists will continue their run for the 2025 National Asparagus Queen throughout the next month, concluding on Saturday, June 7 when they will once again meet with the judges, and the Queen and 1st Runner-up will be chosen. The crowning of the 2025 National Asparagus Queen will take place on Friday, June 13, via a ceremony during the now free concert event at the Oceana County Fairgrounds featuring the band Your Generation.