With Michigan State Police now having dedicated six troopers to Benton Harbor for the summer, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is also chipping in. Sheriff Paul Bailey told the Berrien County Board of Commissioners this week some of his deputies have been assigned to the community.
“The state police started yesterday and I think last night in their patrols in traffic stops they already got three guns off the street,” Bailey said.
Bailey says sheriff’s deputies will handle patrols in Benton Harbor when state troopers are off. He also warned the county board about a shortage of police officers.
“The academy at Kalamazoo Valley used to have 30 to 40 people through it. They’re only having 12, 13 people even sign up and want to go through the academy to become police officers right now. So there’s going to be a shortage of law enforcement. There is now, and I think it’s going to get worse.”
Bailey said the shortage isn’t just affecting his department, but local police departments as well. He said with the national atmosphere what it is, fewer candidates to be cops are coming forward.
