SAGINAW -- Dozens of Saginaw residents attended a neighborhood forum Tuesday at Beacon of Hope Church to show support for their local law enforcement.
Recently, 36 police and fire personnel were given pink slips to help close a more than $3 million city budget deficit. Those layoffs will take effect July 1, unless an alternative solution can be hashed out. There have been ongoing talks of the Saginaw County Sheriff’s department taking over the city police force.
The forum Tuesday evening was a showing of unity behind the Saginaw Police Department.
Mayor Greg Branch also attended the meeting, answering questions and listening to public comment.
“All the input comes from the community and the citizens. They know what’s going on around the city. We live here, we observe and watch and we know what’s going on, and if we could all get together and inform what’s going on it would be a better place,” Jose Barajas, president of the Southwest Neighborhood Association, said.
Leaders in Pontiac have executed a similar plan, outsourcing city policing to the Oakland County Sheriff’s department.
Some residents were quick to point out that they had no choice in Pontiac, because the city was under an emergency financial manager at the time.
