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News That Affects You

Sheriff's Corner: Challenging time for law enforcement and education systems in current climate

As election day approaches, I was reminded this past week how far those in law enforcement and our education system are falling behind in Michigan, and a large portion of our nation. Law enforcement agencies continue to struggle with recruitment, retention, and a stigma of incompetence that is the focus of certain media groups. There continues to be a lot of noise being promoted by people on our shortcomings, specifically a few instances of bad decisions by law enforcement officers. I ask that everyone put your ear to the ground and look at the solid and honorable job our law enforcement and educators are doing for the safety and well-being of you and your families. 

 

Governor Whitmer has recently appropriated for law enforcement to get more officers in the field. She signed three bipartisan bills on September 27th . Although appreciative, I question the timeframe of this information coming forth, wondering if it isn’t some ploy on her part to take attention away from the lack of a relationship and support, she and other members of our state government have had with law enforcement during her tenure in office.

 

This is a challenging time in law enforcement and our education systems. Our crime rate is rising with thefts and violent crimes being a direct result of the drug problem we are incurring in many
communities in the State of Michigan, such as ours. Our State is 40 th in the country when it comes to the quality of education we provide to our students. You add the fact that there are 1,000 officers
statewide in the last two years who departed from the profession mid-career. This, and the lack of
quality applicants in the teaching and law enforcement fields, you understand where a change is needed in the way we think about these two professions and the importance they have to our security and a quality future.

 

Our education system is facing a crisis, across all the different academic lines and what the educators
do, from teaching math, dealing with the mental health of our children, to managing the classrooms
they teach in and the buildings and playgrounds where the children learn and play. Being involved in
the schools like I have in the past, I am fully aware of the pressure and problems that come with it and what our administrators, teachers and students who walk the halls of our education system are feeling. There is an unprecedented level of stress that all are feeling in their daily lives.

 

The remote learning, and disruptions, which were the result of the pandemic have left our students
academically behind, and in some cases emotionally scarred. The staff at our schools are dealing with a much larger amount of behavior problems and an inability to focus in class, among other issues that they will be struggling with in the years to come.


An example of the academic decline we are seeing was the results of the nationally administered
assessment call i-Ready, which tested students three times a year in reading and math. Third grade
students were 38 percent below grade level in reading, compared with the 31 percent historically. In
math, 39 percent of students were below grade level, vs. 29 percent historically.

 

Adding to the problems with learning is the fact that a lot of our schools are short-staffed. There is a
shortage of substitute teachers to assist when a teacher is not available. A continuing problem has also been a shortage of bus drivers. You are finding districts forcing to double up on routes due to these shortages.

 

A lot of this has to do with the stigma teaching and law enforcement have in our society and the
criticism each receives on the job they are doing. More so, it is how far each is behind in being
financially supported for the jobs they do.


In regards to law enforcement, I can tell you agencies in our profession need to get back to some form of a pension program. I have written about this in the past. It became even more evident to me in the past year. Over a weekend in April, after spending $70 for a family dinner, putting $80 in gas into my car and then getting my quarterly retirement statement from the city and seeing it lose a substantial amount of money, I became frustrated with the state of our economy and concerned with how much longer some of my friends in law enforcement would have to work so they were financially stable to retire. Are we really wanting to see law enforcement officers working to protect and serve us into their 60’s? This is not an older person’s profession. This continued to be a reminder to me when seeing a political cartoon with a child trick or treating in a trash can at an older lady’s doorstep. It reads, “A trash can? No, I’m your 401K….”

 

Now is the time to begin looking at a tax credit for those 55-65 years of age to assist those who have had long careers in law enforcement and education in their retirement years. It is time to have incentives to recruit, retain and make the later years in life a time where these people can look back with pride on the jobs they had and look forward to living their later years comfortably.

 

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Local High School Schedule & Scores

CSAA Baseball

TUESDAY 4/2/24

Reed City @ Evart - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

Harrison @ Chippewa Hills - 4:00pm & 6:00pm 

Tri-County @ Greenville - 4:15pm

Lakeview @ Vestaburg - 4:00pm

 

WEDNESDAY 4/3/24

Petoskey @ Big Rapids - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

 

THURSDAY 4/4/24

Reed City @ Kingsley - 4:15pm & 6:15pm

Chippewa Hills @ Farwell - 4:15pm & 6:15pm

 

FRIDAY 4/5/24

Big Rapids @ Cadillac - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

 

SATURDAY 4/6/24

Mason County Central @ Reed City - 1:00pm & 3:00pm

Greenville @ Central Montcalm - 10:00am & 12:00pm

 

 

CSAA Softball

TUESDAY 4/2/24

Reed City @ Evart - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

Harrison @ Chippewa Hills - 4:00pm & 6:00pm 

Tri-County @ Greenville - 4:15pm

Lakeview @ Vestaburg - 4:00pm

 

WEDNESDAY 4/3/24

Petoskey @ Big Rapids - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

 

THURSDAY 4/4/24

Reed City @ Kingsley - 4:15pm & 6:15pm

Chippewa Hills @ Farwell - 4:15pm & 6:15pm

 

FRIDAY 4/5/24

Big Rapids @ Cadillac - 4:00pm

Greenville @ Central Montcalm - 4:00pm & 6:00pm

 

SATURDAY 4/6/24

Mason County Central @ Reed City - 1:00pm & 3:00pm

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