Patrol vehicle
Sheriff Bill FederspielSAGINAW COUNTY, MI (WNEM) -
Concerned citizens in Saginaw held a protest over the possible takeover by Saginaw County Sheriff's office of the Saginaw city police operations.
The demonstration was scheduled for 6 p.m. outside the Saginaw City Hall.
While talks of the outsourcing are in preliminary stages, Saginaw officials are stuck looking for ways to deal with increasing financial woes.
WNEM TV5 previously reported that city and the sheriff's office are talking about a five-year contract. Saginaw County Sheriff Bill Federspiel thinks he can keep the same number of police patrols on Saginaw streets, and save the city money.
Reports say Federspiel will present his cost projections plan to the city council today.
Organizers of the protests say they are concerned with potential response times and the relationship between community members and law enforcement.
In a previous TV5 story, Federspiel said a similar arrangement between the city of Pontiac and Oakland County is producing good results.
"I am not looking to reinvent the wheel. I would look at the Oakland County model if it is working there," Federspiel said.
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