County proposal asks for quarter of a mill for HUNT and School Resource Officers

The only countywide proposal to be decided at the polls in Presque Isle County Tuesday is a one-quarter mill request to fund an officer for the Huron Under Cover Narcotics Team and to provide School Resource Officer positions in the Rogers City and Onaway schools. The proposition, if approved, would levy up to 25 cents on each $1,000 of taxable valuation for four years from 2004 through 2007. According to figures provided by supporters of the request, the average homeowner in Presque Isle County would pay $12.50 per year. A person with a home with a taxable value of $175,000 would pay about $39 a year.

“Both School Resource Officers (SRO) and having a local law enforcement officer represented on the HUNT team have been proven assets and extremely valuable to the citizens and community,” said Rogers City Police Chief Matt Quaine. There is one officer working for HUNT in Presque Isle County and one SRO in each of the Rogers City and Onaway school districts. The proposal would fund all three positions.

HUNT is an undercover narcotics team comprised of local and state officers who have specialized training in preventing the illegal sales of controlled substances, and enforcing laws in Alpena, Alcona, and Montmorency counties, as well as Presque Isle County. MEMBERS OF local law enforcement agencies and school administrators support the millage. Sgt. Mike Hahn of HUNT said the decision at the polls is one that could affect the safety of the area, property, and the future of northeast Michigan. “Roughly 90 percent of all break-ins, robberies and violent crimes can be attributed to narcotics addiction and trafficking,” Hahn said. According to HUNT statistics, $472,102 worth of illegal drugs in the four county region has been seized this year.

“If it wasn’t for the HUNT team, there is no way we could combat the drug problem,” said sheriff Terry Flewelling. Flewelling believes that it’s difficult to investigate drug trafficking because most of the sheriff’s department personnel are known in the communities. Some officials in Presque Isle Township are not in favor of the millage, as presented.

PRESQUE ISLE TOWNSHIP supervisor Pete Pettalia said he is supportive of HUNT, and wanted it make it clear he is not against the drug fighting team, but taxpayer dollars are already funding the organization from state and federal grants, and another tax is “double-dipping.” Pettalia also said there is no benefit to residents of Presque Isle Township to funding the School Resource Officers in Rogers City and Onaway. The money to fund the School Resource Officer position had come from a grant the last three years, but the fourth and final year of the program was not made available to Presque Isle County.

“We submitted that application for the round which was in September, and we were not successful, but our application is pending and they’ll probably have another round in March,” said Quaine. “If that comes in, that will fund 80 percent of the School Resource Officers.” Onaway Area Schools superintendent Bob Szymoniak said the school grounds and facilities are a safer place with sheriff’s deputy Lewis Robinson as the SRO. “Officer Robinson has made a significant impact on the school,” said Szymoniak. “He has made our halls, classrooms, and parking lots safer.” Szymoniak described Robinson as an excellent role model for the students.

“He is kind, fair, and listens well,” Szymoniak continued. “However, the students also know to respect his authority. Officer Robinson has helped to ‘humanize’ policemen in the eyes of our kids.”

FLEWELLING SAID the students, since an officer was placed in the community schools, “are not afraid to go to these guys and talk to them, to address their problems. I was critical of the SRO officer when we first started it, but now I don’t how the schools would go without it.” Rogers City High School principal Deb Jones said Matt Bisson, who serves as Rogers City’s officer, has had a positive influence on the st

udents. “This is a chance for the students to see police officers in a positive light in our community,” said Jones. “At times, some students don’t look at officers as being helpful. It’s very positive.” The Rogers City SRO visits most of the schools in Rogers City, not just the high school, and Bisson said he handles a wide range of problems from a proactive standpoint, as well as reacting to other situations. “Times have definitely change compared to when I was in school 10 years ago. There is more stress on them (students), which adds to the problems,” Bisson said.

“When I was at a training school for school resource officers, there was an officer who said that there were parents coming to him asking why he needed to be in school. His comment was: ‘I could be on the road, patrolling your neighborhood and guarding your VCRs and TV or I could be up at the school protecting your kid. Which would you rather have?’ ” Voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the proposal when they turn to that page in the ballot book on Tuesday.