Ferndale Police Department

by Jenn Goeddeke

THE LAST YEAR HASN'T BEEN EASY FOR ANYONE, including our public servants at the Ferndale Police Department.

Moving out of the strict Covid-19 restrictions has been a welcome relief. Chief Dennis Emmi explained, “It has been a matter of adjusting and prioritizing. Most of my staff chose to receive vaccinations and boosters, but we did not mandate these measures. We work on finding balance and doing the best we can. Building trust is always very important.”

Recruiting qualified candidates has been an issue at the forefront of operations. Out of a total staff of 55 people, there have been 13 new hires within the past year. This is a significant turnover. Emmi emphasized that he is hugely proud of the administration and officer training staff, who have been working unusually long hours. Plus, a big shout-out to Captain David Spellman and HR staff for filling the gaps and making the necessary recruiting trips. Because of the high standards retained for officers, it can take several months to fill a single position. So, recruitment efforts need to be continually prioritized.

In closing out the fiscal year 2021, staff training was cut back due to the pandemic issues and safety protocols. Since then, training schedules have fully resumed. Emmi believes it is very important for officers to get perspective beyond their department, following National Best Practices guidelines.

REGARDING HIS OWN ONGOING TRAINING, Emmi is greatly looking forward to the 2022 IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) Annual Conference & Exposition. This is the biggest and most comprehensive law enforcement event of the year. Over 16,000 public safety professionals gather to learn new techniques, advance their knowledge, and return with enhanced skills to help prepare their department for continued success. As Emmi explained, “this is a huge resource with the best instructors from around the world and many panel discussions. Global-level learning topics – such as mental health or technology – are scalable to a county or a specific PD.”

Making progress is important to Emmi, and cooperation with other departments is a crucial component of this forward momentum. For example, in response to certain situations within the homeless population, the Ferndale PD may work alongside and share information with the Harm Reduction Unit. In this way, they can offer suitable support, including resources for substance abuse help.

One staff member “making it happen” is Jill Mahlmeister, the Community Engagement Officer. She consistently finds key resources to team up with, such as Lighthouse, Common Ground, and Oakland County Mental Health organizations. Emmi mentioned a county-level program where at least ten mental health workers would be available for dispatch to respond in crises would be a valuable asset. However, this may prove to be challenging to implement, partially due to budgetary constraints. Approximately 50 percent of all officers have special training in crisis intervention.

THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS DEVELOPED, such as and its partner, . (FAN) is yet another great free resource, helping thousands of residents deal with difficult situations relating to substance abuse.

A further form of information available is the careful recording and reporting are taking place. There is an emphasis on providing context to the statistics.”

This is a very comprehensive reference to the Ferndale PD’s statistics and demographics, organized by year and category. The public can access the dashboard from the City Page web site. Emmi stated “The Transparency Dashboard we have exceeds most standards, and nationally is second to none. The information is populated monthly, and it demonstrates that

One particularly reassuring statistic is that the Ferndale PD average response time to an incident is only one to two minutes or less (less than 30 seconds in some cases!) Within Ferndale’s 3.8 sq/miles, at least four patrol cars are on shift at all times, and that number increases to as many as eight officers on Friday and Saturday nights, and even more during festivals and special events.

To learn more about the inner workings of the PD, you may want to consider enrolling in the Citizens’ Academy. See the website below for further information.

SEVERAL LARGE DEVELOPMENTS have come to town, which naturally is exciting for Ferndale’s growth. Of course, there is a cost associated with hiring more police officers. Emmi added that “we are partnering with the DDA to co-fund the creation of a new police officer position. The Downtown Resource Officer (DRO) will be implemented at the beginning of the new fiscal year, July 1, 2022. This officer will coordinate services with the DDA, for example with issues like crime prevention, special events, parking problems, and so on.”

He also wants to remind all residents to be mindful of protecting themselves against crime, “along with showing compassion and empathy to each other, caution is also needed. No community is immune from crime. In Ferndale we see our share of petty thefts. We call them ‘crimes of opportunity.’ Keep your cars and homes locked!” With the continuous rise in cyber crime and ID theft, Emmi advises you to change your passwords frequently and create ones that will be difficult to guess.

Finally, Emmi declared with a smile, “Don’t ever get too comfortable, because change is on its way!”

Ferndale Police Department, 310 E. Nine Mile Rd. Emergency: 911 | Non-emergency: 248-541-3650 https://ferndalemi.gov/departments/police For more information on FAN or Hope Not Handcuffs/The Comeback programs, email: fan@familiesagainstnarcotics.org, visit www.familiesagainstnarcotics.org or call 586.438.8500

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