COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s line item veto of $13 million from the Michigan State Police Secondary Road Program is not sitting well with Sheriff’s around the state, and that includes Branch County’s John Pollack.
It comes at a time when the county is finally making headway into putting more deputies on the road. Two additional deputies for the Branch County Sheriff’s Department are in the proposed 2020 County General Fund budget, but as Pollack told the Branch County Board of Commissioners during their work session last Friday, the loss of the dedicated funds because of the Governor’s veto will affect his department because it could mean to loss of one of his deputies.
If the funding is not put back into the state budget, Pollack said they would be looking at going back to having Monday through Friday patrols, with no patrols on weekends.
That would put an additional burden on the Michigan State Police. But State Police Commander Lt. James Coleman says they are struggling too. But he said their director and the governor are planning to address retirement attritions by hiring one new trooper for each retirement.
Coleman said Troopers in the district also have to cover Calhoun and St. Joseph Counties besides Branch County.
