Starting in December, Eaton County residents will see fewer county officers on road patrol from noon to midnight.
The reduction in service comes after voters rejected a measure to increase property taxes during the election earlier in November.
Logan Bailey is the Communications Director for Eaton County. He says deputies have been working overtime to fill the coverage, but it’s not right.
“The sheriff can't continue to cover that with overtime, not just the personnel cost and the technology of maintenance and everything. It's also not fair or safe to those deputies who are working all of that overtime, with limited coverage.”
Bailey says it’s a stressful time for everyone in the department, and many deputies have found work elsewhere.
“We were already losing a lot of staff to other higher paying municipalities, different counties, cities, et cetera across the departments and including in the sheriff's office because they're getting paid more, and they could work less because there's more staff at these other places. So, you can't fault that.”
The office has discussed the idea of having the Michigan State Police help out with coverage.
But Bailey says the community is nervous about the future.
“The sheriff's number one priority is public safety. He's going to do that to the best of his ability, but, you know, it's stressful.”
Deputies will continue to do road patrols from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Sheriff's Office has also said it will have to let go of its 10 cadets after they're done training if more funding isn't found.
On December 5, the county's Ways and Means Committee will discuss more options to keep services going.