With an average of over 200 inches of snowfall per year, Gogebic County (MI) is a winter wonderland. Hundreds of miles of multi-use trails and a sled-friendly atmosphere encourage individuals from Michigan, as well as many other states to head to this southwestern region of the Upper Peninsula. Along with beautiful winters, summers provide residents and visitors a chance to relax on the shores of Lake Superior and frequent the many small towns around the border of Michigan and Wisconsin. Ironwood, "Michigan's Western Gateway," is the area's major city with a population of just over 6,000. Greeting the visitors and keeping the city safe is the Ironwood Public Safety Department (IPSD).
With 13 officers covering seven square miles, the IPSD has a higher ratio of officers per citizen than most U.S. cities. A civilian administrative assistant and 25 volunteer firefighters support them. The department sees around 5,000 calls for service per year, which are dispatched out of the Michigan State Police Regional Dispatch center in Negaunee, 135 miles away. The department works with a 1.1 million dollar budget.
Fire
Like many rural agencies, the IPSD works with limited resources. Due to this, all officers are cross-trained as firefighters. "When a fire call is received, on-duty public safety officers take the fire apparatus to the scene," says Robert Erspamer, Ironwood Director of Public Safety." At the same time, off-duty public safety officers and volunteers are paged and meet apparatus at the scene. We are supplemented by a volunteer fire department which is under the direction of the public safety department." Officers are trained in-house and then take the state test to gain the Firefighter Level 2 certification. On a monthly basis, the officers train on-duty. "Each shift sergeant will cover the training topic of the month with the crew," explains Erspamer. In January, 2007, several IPSD officers were honored for rescuing a person out of an active fire in a downtown apartment. "They do good things every day," Erspamer says.
Academy
To become an Ironwood public safety officer, an individual attends the 16-week Northern Michigan Police Academy located at Northern Michigan University. "Officers need to be certified or certifiable when they apply," Erspamer says. Although a new recruit completes the academy at their own expense, a lateral officer can apply to receive a waiver through the State of Michigan. If approved, the IPSD pays for them to attend a two week refresher course on Michigan law. Due to budget restraints, IPSD is not currently hiring.
Officer Basics
Once hired, a recruit earns $12.55, an hour which increases to $14.01 after a year. With overtime and longevity, an IPSD officer makes around $25,000 to $48,000 per year. Two shifts are offered. Day shift covers 6 A.M to 6 P.M. while night shift covers 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. Shift bids are conducted by seniority. "Management has the ultimate say," Erspamer explains. "(But) they usually get to choose their own shifts."
Officers carry a .40 caliber Sig Sauer, a 12 gauge shotgun and a variety of assault rifles. Officers carry OC sprays, but do not have TASERs. "I don't like them," Erspamer explains, "because of the expense and liability. We have never come across a situation where OC hasn't taken care of it." Officers are not allowed to work off-duty in a law enforcement capacity and must live within 20 miles of the station in downtown Ironwood.
ISP works closely with a variety of other agencies, such as the Hurley (WI) Police Department, the Gogebic and Iron County Sheriff's Offices and the Michigan State Police. "(Our) focus is on narcotics," Erspamer explains reference the department's current priority. "We developed a multi-jurisdictional drug team and that's helped a lot." The department has also incorporated a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team.
Snowmobile Patrol
Although limited in their resources, the agency continues to provide different specialty assignments, including evidence technicians, bike patrol and a snowmobile patrol. Since its inception in 1999, Ironwood has acquired two snowmobiles to keep trails safe and assist with the increased tourism during the winter. "It's difficult in a small department but it's important," says Erspamer. "On a busy winter weekend, we have more snowmobile traffic than other traffic. For safety, it helps snowmobilers know we are on the trails. It helps to reduce violator speeds. It helps the medical field because we are often the first response." A grant through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources funds 85% of the annual $20,000 it costs to run the patrol. The department picks up the other 15% from the city budget. "I think it's important that it's not just a ticket writing campaign," explains Erspamer. "It's important to stress the safety to the snowmobilers in the area and to work with them to make it better for everybody."
For the Kids
Assisting the snowmobile community is not the only way IPSD interacts with the public. For sixty years, in May, the department has hosted a bicycle safety event. Local businesses donate money and services, such as free bike tune-ups, and the department puts on a bicycle safety presentation. During the event, the American Legion post serves hot dogs and juice while the officers volunteer their time to teach youth about bicycle safety. The kids put their names in a hat and over a third of participants win a new bicycle. This year over 60 children attended and 22 bikes were given away. "Our public safety department is very involved in the community," says Erspamer. "The officers are younger so they are involved in the schools and Little League. Several officers are coaches for various sports. We are a big part of the community."
Comfortable summers, fall color and incredible winter snow recreation make the City of Ironwood a fantastic place to live or visit. Opportunities to interact with other agencies via multi-jurisdictional task forces, with the community, either in a car or on a snowmobile and cross-training of police and fire makes Ironwood Public Safety a diverse and rewarding place to work.
