County Seat Newspaper
of Clare County

News from Your Sheriff-April 2022

Posted

Welcome to spring, Clare County! During the months of February and March 2022 the Clare County Central Dispatch logged 5,407 incidents. Your deputies handled 3,410 of those with other law enforcement handling 1,376 incidents. Fire and rescue units responded to 237 incidents during this period. We currently have 159 people in our jail which consist of 5 diverted felons, 62 federal, and 92 local.

April 10 through April 16 is National Telecommunicators Week, which is to honor our 911 Dispatchers. Your dispatchers here in Clare County answer every type of call you can imagine. These outstanding employees are the “Heart Beat” of the county. They are call takers who save lives, get the fire departments rolling, send law enforcement to calls, take medical calls, talk to people who are in a bad way and need mental help, or just someone to talk to. They get screamed at, cussed at for things out of their control, yet keep a cool head about the situation. There are times when one dispatcher is getting information and another dispatcher is listening in and getting emergency crews heading in the direction of that emergency. I just can’t say enough about the men and women in our dispatch center and the hard work they do. They miss out on important family events, work nights, weekends and holidays. If you get a chance, please tell them thank you for what they do.

I would like to thank Dave Lawrence from Greenwood Township for the 21 years he served on their township board. Dave also headed up the neighborhood watch program for the township and worked hand-in-hand with the sheriff’s office for many years. This past Saturday his wife Monica, with the help of others, held a surprise party for Dave at the Greenwood Township Hall in appreciation of his time spent there. Again, Thank You, Dave, for your time well served!

For a while now we have been working with the Career Technical Education Center (CTE). Students from our local RESD are placed in intern type positions. They will spend time in our dispatch center, riding with a deputy, and prior to COVID they would work in the jail. They would also rotate through the prosecutor’s office during this time. We are looking at ways we can get local students who are interested in Criminal Justice to spend more time at our office. When I look at the long-term employees here, most are from this area. With that in mind, if we could get those who want a career in a field the county has to offer, they are more likely to stay where they were born and raised. In today’s world it is hard to find people who want to go into a career in one of the three fields: law enforcement, dispatch and corrections. All three fields are stressful, high-speed jobs that need well-rounded, professional people to work in them.

Stay Safe – Stay Strong

GOD Bless

Sheriff John S Wilson

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