Superior Twp. adds extra deputy for summer months

By Christine Laughren
Jun. 16, 2009    ·    1:23 p.m.

Superior Township is contracting for an additional Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Deputy over the summer in an effort to curb violence on MacArthur Boulevard.

With a unanimous vote at Monday evening’s meeting, the township partnered with Ypsilanti Public School District to contract its deputy between June 7 and September 5. The cost for the additional deputy is $35,491.

“I think this is a win-win situation,” Township Supervisor William McFarlane said.

Lt. Jim Anuszkiewicz said the MacArthur Boulevard area has been a problem this year, as in years past, with regularly reported shootings, robberies and burglaries. Calls for service typically increase during the summer months according to the lieutenant and the beginning of June alone has been a busy one for the Sheriff’s Department.

Anuszkiewicz said the Sheriff’s office would be releasing information this afternoon surrounding a shooting that occurred at approximately 4 p.m. Friday near MacArthur Boulevard.

He said a woman, who was shot three times, has non-life threatening injuries and a suspect has been identified. He also said shortly after the shooting a burglary occurred and a local party store was robbed in the MacArthur Boulevard area.

“There are a lot of things going on up in that area,” he said addressing the Township Board. “By supporting this deputy over the summer it will go a long way.”

The Sheriff’s Office is characterizing the school/municipality program as a pilot program.

McFarlane said, with local apartment complexes offering to share some of the cost of the deputy, Superior Township has a unique opportunity to facilitate the pilot program.

“We have the funds available to pay for this,” McFarlane said. “This is one of those rainy day funds and I think its raining now.”

The Sheriff’s Office plans to release a report at the end of the summer showing the results of the additional deputy. According to the department a recent quarterly document reviled deputies in Superior Township were spending 31 percent of their time on Macarthur Boulevard.

McFarlane said 97 percent of the residents on Macarthur were “good people.”

“It’s 3 percent of the residents that are causing 100 percent of the problem,” McFarlane said. “By working together with the Sheriffs Department and the apartment complexes I think we could improve the quality of life up there reduce the amount of violence and criminal activity.

“Hopefully it will impact the area in a positive way,” he said.

Visit the Ypsilanti Citizen this evening for updated information regarding Friday's shooting.