Bloomfield Hills Enhances Police Response Capabilities to Local Court

Bloomfield Hills police officers will now be able to offer immediate aid to officers at the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Township. It might seem like a natural fit, but still required approval by city officials to implement.

Bloomfield Hills City Commissioners on Tuesday voted to allow the Department of Public Safety to enter into a mutual aid pact with the six other communities that are served by the court. Police Chief Richard Matott said Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and West Bloomfield have already signed on to the agreement. He explained it was an arrangement between the communities that has been a long time coming.

"We (the other chiefs) have been talking about this for five or six years," he said. "There isn't any issue, but we had to get the agreement so that it's done right."

Oakland County Sheriff's deputies currently provide security at the court. If there's an emergency  that requires additional officers to respond, deputies have to call Bloomfield Township to get help--even if a Bloomfield Hills officer is in the parking lot. Officers can intervene whenever and wherever there's a felony in progress, but not misdemeanors outside they're own jurisdiction.

"It's a liability issue," Matott said.