LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan lawmakers are looking to secure funding for local law enforcement and public safety. The House Government Operations Committee approved bills Thursday morning that would create a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Trust Fund. The two bills in Michigan’s House of Representatives could bring $75 million to police departments in cities, villages, and townships across the state.
The trust fund is a bipartisan project meant to fill local funding gaps. As police departments struggle with recruitment, county sheriffs and smaller municipalities are struggling to meet the needs of their communities to keep people safe.
The bills were reintroduced by Representative Mike Harris (R-Waterford) and Representative Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn). At a press conference after the committee hearing, they said the plan is sustainable, performance-based funding for local law enforcement and their community partners. The focus is on local police departments, but money will also be given to community violence intervention and victim services.
“Michiganders should feel safe in their neighborhoods. They should feel safe walking outside their house, they should feel safe letting their kids play in their backyards, they should have confidence knowing that state government can do the big things that they need us to do.” Farhat said. “I’m always going to ask for our law enforcement to do better. I am. I’m going to be critical when they need to be critical, but I’m also going to be fair because if we expect the best police force in the nation, if we expect to have the best policing, we have to also expect to pay for it.”
The bills use money from the state’s sales tax that has already been set aside; each municipality would receive a set amount to start, with a schedule to decrease the amount if violent crime rates don’t decrease in the district.
Farhat said they expect to see support from the Senate and the governor to quickly pass the bills and get the funding to Michigan communities.
