Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has announced the city will be hiring more police officers. In a statement, Bernero says "adjustments" in his original spending plan allows the addition of two officers on top of the seven he first proposed. Mayoral spokesman Randy Hannan says the adjustments involve reducing funds to renovate the city's South Washington Office Complex.
The mayor's plan also calls for adding up to ten more officers, if police unions agree to renegotiate existing health care and pension plans. City officials say they could save one million dollars with those adjustments.
Hannan says talks with leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police union continue.