Director of Public Safety : Mark Clapp 
Address: 700 Broad Street
Phone: (269) 985-0300

Deputy Director of Public Safety - Police:  Al DiBrito

Deputy Director of Public Safety - Fire:  Jim Crow

Police Dispatch: 983-2571 (24 hours)
Non-Emergency: 983-2571
Records: 983-2573 (8am - 5pm, Monday thru Friday)
Records Fax: 983-7755 (24 hours)
Parking: 983-2575 (8am - 4:30pm, Monday thru Friday)
Administration: 985-0300 (24 hours)
Administration Fax: 985-0348 (24 hours)

Anonymous Tip Line: 985-0301 (24 hours)

The St. Joseph Public Safety Department is dedicated to serving the St. Joseph community with the most professional approach to law enforcement and fire fighting available.

We will strive to work with the citizenry toward the accomplishment of organizational and community objectives by providing those services which will continue to make St. Joseph progressive, safer and second to none.

Keeping Your Neighborhood Safe and Enjoyable
The Police Department can help you with this by working with you to address the following:

• Quality of life issues - barking dogs, loud parties, loud vehicles, traffic hazards and burned-out streetlights.
• Suspicious activities - people or vehicles in your neighborhood that are not normal or out of place for the time of day.
• Actual crimes - that have happened and need to be investigated so that an arrest can be made or information obtained so that prevention measures can be used.

Community Programs offered by the Police Department

• Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
• Adult/Senior Neighborhood Programs
• Cell Phone Turn-In Program
• Community Child Watch Program
• Crime Prevention & School Safety - Elementary School Programs
• Crime Prevention & School Safety - Middle School Programs
• Crime Prevention & School Safety - High School Programs
• Dedicated Officer Program
• Neighborhood Watch
• Federal Trade Commission (ID Ttheft)
• FEMA for Kids
• National Crime Prevention Council
• Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry
• Pier Safety
  • Bandwidth - High
  • Bandwidth - Medium
  • Bandwidth - Low
  • Bandwidth - Modem

RECOVERY ACT:  JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM

To be eligible for funding from the Bureau of Justic Assistance under the Recovery Act, the federal statute requires that local governments must have reported at least 3 years of violent crime statistics during the last 10 years. 

RECOVERY ACT PROGRAM NARRATIVE (ATTACHMENT 1)

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH POLICE DEPARTMENT

DISPATCH ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

The objectives of the Dispatch Enhancement Project are to preserve the current four communication specialist positions, provide for more efficient communications both within the agency and with outside disciplines through technology upgrades, and create a more productive work environment.

Currently the St. Joseph Police Department is not the recipient of any other federal funding. The City’s Finance Director, Deb Koroch, provided we are awarded funding through the Recovery Act, will track the draw downs. A separate trust fund will be established solely for the Recovery Act funds. In addition, separate spreadsheets created through the Finance Department will be utilized for tracking.

Should the funds be awarded, the enhancements will easily be completed prior to the expiration of the 4-year grant period. The police department would begin the enhancements immediately upon availability of the funding utilizing local contractors, for the upgrades. Further, local vendors would be solicited for equipment such as rack mounts, and computer monitors. While the intent of the project is not to create new jobs, it is, in part, to preserve existing positions.

Through the use of spreadsheets, the Police Department will track the number of jobs preserved and the number of jobs created during the period of renovations to the dispatch center. This data will be reported quarterly as required by section 1512 c of the Recovery Act.

BUDGET NARRATIVE (ATTACHMENT 2)

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH POLICE DEPARTMENT

DISPATCH ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

The funds provided through the Recovery Act will be used to purchase equipment, including computers for the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network, monitor racks, monitors, computer racks, chair, headphones, cable & race track, shelves, a map case and battery back-up units. A portion, @$2,000.00, will be used to create and place a new workstation surface.

REVIEW NARRATIVE (ATTACHMENT 3)

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH POLICE DEPARTMENT

DISPATCH ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

The Recovery Act application was made available to the St. Joseph City Manager and Commissioners at the April 13, 2009 commission meeting, an advertised public meeting.

Chief of Police Mark Clapp made a presentation at the above-mentioned commission meeting to both the City Commission and the public in attendance. An opportunity for comments was provided to both the commission and the resident attendees.

In addition, the application was made available for public review at the St. Joseph Public library, the City clerk’s office and the City of St. Joseph website.

ABSTRACT (ATTACHEMENT 4)

CITY OF ST. JOSEPH POLICE DEPARTMENT

DISPATCH ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

The goals of the City of St. Joseph Police Department Dispatch Enhancement project are as follows:

q  Preserve 4 communication specialist positions

q  Provide for more efficient communications

q  Create the ability to more efficiently communicate with our officers, the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network and outside agencies through technology upgrades.

q  Create a more productive work environment.

The strategies employed to meet the goals include successful solicitation of the Recovery Act funding, procurement of the necessary equipment using the Recovery Act funding, employment of specialists to install the equipment procured, and placing the communications specialist to work in the new environment.

Local vendors will be hired to complete the installation of the equipment. Once the equipment is satisfactorily in place, payment by draw down of the Recovery Act funds will be made through the City Finance Department.

The major deliverables are:

q  Preservation of four communication specialist positions

q  The purchase of computers, monitor rack systems, monitors, chair, headsets, computer racks, cable & race track, computer rack shelving, map case, and battery backup units.

q  Reconfiguration of the counter top work surface.

To find out more information about the Recovery Act and Justice Assistance Grant Program, please click on http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/recoveryallocations.html