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Wayne Township Police Department Reinstated!On July 11, 2007 Township Trustee Dennis Elchinger made a motion at a regularly scheduled trustees meeting to reinstate the Wayne Township Police Department. Trustees Harold Grossnickle and Don Wilson argued against the motion citing budget constraints. Former Police Chief Joe Mullins stated that officers were willing to continue their service on a volunteer basis to alleviate those concerns. There were also many citizens in attendance that expressed their desire to have the police department reinstated. This was all ignored by two out of three trustees and they voted the motion down. Wayne Township Crime Stats The following are the top 10 stats that cover the 60 day period between June 18-August 17. Incidents are listed in order of frequency.
Theft (31 calls, 1 every 2 days)
911 Hang-up (30 calls, 1 every 2 days)
Traffic related (29 calls, 1 every 2 days)
B & E Alarm/Report (23 calls, 1 every 3 days)
Domestic Violence (21 calls, 1 every 3 days)
General Complaint (20 calls)
Peacemaker (19 calls)
Disorder (17 calls)
Suspicious Person/Vehicle (16 calls)
Extra Patrol Request (16 calls)
There were 83 other calls that include but are not limited to: welfare checks, harassment, lock-outs, animal complaints, weapon complaints, auto thefts, loud music complaints, property damage, assaults, missing persons, fights, prowlers, trespass, DUI, sex offenses, drug activity.
A total of 305 calls for service, averaging more than 5 calls per day during the specified time. Notice that the top 5 calls are types of calls that require rapid response time.
From a Letter Written to Trustees by Former Police Officer Jeff Wolf Though the Sheriff’s Office has provided coverage during hours when your own officers were not on the road, and now in the absence of a police department, there are elements that they cannot provide due to man power and land mass. These unavailable services include undivided township attention, proactive enforcement, a rapid response time, the element of community policing and the strong law enforcement presence that this community has become accustomed to over the last 12 months. Further, they DO NOT respond with Wayne Township Fire and Rescue.
Should you, the trustees of Wayne Township, decide that you have made the right decision, you must continue to live with the fact that you have neglectfully allowed 7 dedicated and professional police officers to slip through your fingers. If you choose not to reinstate the police department, chances are the future will produce politicians who will realize the err that has been made and attempt to correct it. However, this community will never again have the privilege of employing a chief as qualified and professional as Joe Mullins , nor officers as enthusiastic and committed to excellence as David Chapman, Derrek Hollon, Matt Angel, Larey Casey, Chuck Hanson and myself.”
(Letter written by former police officer Jeff Wolf to the township trustees, and read publically in the July 11th trustees meeting.)
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Important Facts to Know about Rural Areas National statistics state that 25% of the population of the United States lives in rural areas. Further, 70% of the nation’s land mass is rural. As you well know, in Wayne Township there are approximately 32 square miles, 5,000 people, 1,786 homes and 3,590 vehicles on the road. At these levels, the township is indeed a picture of “rural America.” The image of rural America today suggests that small towns, farming communities, and the open country are "crime free." This is not true!
Consider the following facts published by the United States Department of Justice that help to uncover the myth. In the last 10 years crime rates in rural America have increased over 40%. The DUI rates in rural America are higher today than in our largest cities. Alcohol use by rural youths have matched or exceeded use by urban youths in over 20 years of high school surveys. A majority of methamphetamine labs seized by law enforcement in the United States are in rural areas.
MSNBC and National Public Radio also report the following: Production of methamphetamine is increasing in rural areas. The highest national rates of binge drinking and DUI are found in rural areas. Methamphetamine labs are a toxic threat to rural America. Wayne Township is certainly not special, in that it is not immune to the crime stats and trends that are prevalent in the rest of the country. On the contrary, this community is as much or more susceptible to rising crime trends being in such close proximity to a metropolitan area.
Sign Our Petition to bring the Police Back! A few months ago former officer of the disbanded department began a petition drive to get the township trustees to reinstate the police department. Add your name to the list. Please include your name and physical address in the message box. Only signatures of Wayne Township Residents are valid.
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