On Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., Pentwater Police Chief Laude Hartrum held his semi-annual public meeting to share information with community members and solicit their feedback. Dressed casually and sitting on a stool centered in a semi-circular arrangement of chairs, he conveyed the informality of dialogue he desired. Residents could attend in-person or via Zoom. An audience of 17 at Park Place Event Center in Pentwater responded to his invitation for questions, concerns and suggestions.
His summary of summer work highlighted the most serious incidents of violence, the theft of a trailer, a truck fire, a kitchen fire and the challenges of 400 registered golf carts. He reported on the newest officer, Ethan Lassiter, who is the only officer that lives in the village and described Lassiter’s field training. He listed the June through August statistics for moving violation tickets and for parking tickets, most of which resulted in warnings rather than fines. The three Public Safety Officers hired for the summer are back at school.
An audience member remarked, “You might want to teach them a little humility.”
There were a few chuckles, and Hartrum smiled and said, “You know, I tell them they should have five topics they should be able to casually talk about with folks on the street. But their comfort zone does not include conversations with residents or tourists.”
Another audience member suggested, “Next year set up a meeting with some of us to do role-playing with them.”
New projects include the Badge and Business weekly podcasts with Hartrum and Eva Gregwer from the Chamber of Commerce, that highlights upcoming events and share community policies. They have produced 22 podcasts on YouTube and their Facebook posts of the podcasts have initiated 1,000-2,000 views. Getting visitors to park their vehicles on the grass during popular events has proven to be the biggest challenge, and when Hartrum invited helpful suggestions from the audience, he received six imaginative and useful ideas.
The outdated noise ordinance has been replaced with a new one. Hartrum reported, “This one can be enforced because it defines decibel levels that are measurable with the decibel meters recently purchased. Permissible levels differ for residential and commercial areas and drop lower at 11 p.m.”
Education scheduled for the officers in the next month includes control force: how to calm resistant offenders, how to de-escalate violent behavior, and how to place handcuffs on offenders without harming oneself or the offender. Training also includes two days of pistol shooting during daylight and nighttime hours.
Hartrum opened a dialogue on Flock cameras by explaining the difference between the village and the county policy and the value of local control. He clarified that cameras were installed in the village last year but not activated until this summer for the 90-day trial to which the village council had agreed. The trial period ends in late October, and Hartrum will be making a report to the council at their Oct. 12 meeting. “They will be making the decision to continue or discontinue using it.”
His report will include the two cases where the camera system was utilized in recovering stolen property and aiding in the identification of a victim. He will also attach copies of every email sent to him regarding the system so council members are aware of community feedback. Residents who wish to have their comments included are invited to send them to Hartrum by Oct. 1.
It’s no secret to Hartrum that there has been abundant criticism of Flock cameras. “I spent an hour in my office today talking with three residents about their concerns,” he said.
Hartrum continued with his analysis of the negativity, “It’s not the technology that is the stumbling block. It’s all about the handling of the data. How is it stored? Where is it stored? Who is it shared with? How is it used? How do you protect it? People view us (the police) as part of the government and say, ‘The government is watching us,’ which makes them very uneasy.”
The cost will also come into play. Each camera costs $3,000 a year to operate, and the cost will need to be weighed against the benefit. Regarding how one rates the value of its use, Hartrum asserted one thing was sure, “If council decides to proceed with using the system, there will be a civilian oversight committee to supervise its use.”
Hartrum began and ended the meeting with gratitude for the residents who came to participate. “I strongly believe there needs to be transparency and continual dialogue between the police department and the residents for the police to be effective agents in the community.”
Before closing the meeting at 8:15 p.m., he once more invited each person there to share a question, comment or concern. A few suggestions for improvement were voiced along with several expressions of thanks.
