BERRIEN COUNTY FIGHTS SILVER BEACH DISTURBANCES

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Public safety was high priority last week for Berrien County Commissioners. At their meeting, commissioners strengthened rules at county parks to help address recent disturbances at Silver Beach County Park in St. Joseph. They gave their stamp of approval to a new mobile Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to help area first responders.
Commissioners met last week at the Watervliet Township Hall as one of the night meetings they hold each spring and summer at locations around the county. While commissioners first heard about the initiative  on June 26, last week’s county board action authorizes county staff to proceed with the implementation of the new CAD software system and to also start discussions with local entities as to memorandums of understanding on cost sharing. County officials are also working with state officials about possible state grants for the project.
Commissioners first heard about the proposal at their June 26 meeting. A committee made up of county officials and representatives from area law enforcement and fire service agencies have been studying the need for Computer Aided Dispatch mobility units. 9-1-1 Director Caitlin Sampsell told commissioners that there are a total of 20 police and 30 fire/emergency service agencies in the county that are interested in obtaining the software and access to the CAD system.
police and other law enforcement officers will have better and faster access to information as they respond to incidents as will firefighters and ambulance personnel. The first year cost for establishing the program has been estimated to be just under $600,000 at $596,650. Memorandums of understanding are being developed to ask local entities to pledge their support and the county will also be asked to provide funding.
In other action, commissioners made changes to the county’s parks and recreation ordinance in light of recent disturbances at Silver Beach County Park. There have been three disturbances at the park already this year as well as other incidents in past years.
The most recent disturbance occurred June 22 when a large group of adults and juveniles came to the park and started fighting. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department as well as the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety responded to the situation and made a number of arrests and shut down the park early. Last week’s county board action came after the County’s Corporate Counsel, Sheriff, and Parks and Recreation Director met to address the situation.
Although the Silver Beach incidents were the impetus the for the changes, the ordinance update affects all county parks around the county. The update clarifies what offenses are misdemeanors and what are civil infractions and also increases the fines for civil infractions. People violating the park rules could be banned from all county parks for a year.
Also last week, commissioners approved several other resolutions covering a variety of issues. Commissioners applied for grant funding for snowmobile enforcement next winter, accepted additional state funds for the Lakeview Trail between Benton Harbor and St. Joseph and amending an agreement with Laurel Health for the Healthy Berrien Consortium.
The final Berrien County Commission night meeting of the year will be Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Michigan State University Extension Office outside of Benton Harbor.