Monday, May 20, 2013

Petition Started Against Michigan State Police Chopper In Grand Rapids (With Video)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– It’s a story we first brought you on Fox17 earlier this month, our exclusive look inside West Michigan’s newest crime fighter. The Michigan State Police helicopter, it’s an aeriel asset that comes to West Michigan as an initiative from Governor Snyder after a spike in violent crime. But a petition against is gaining popularity. 

“We’re not going to spin around people’s houses were not going to look to see what we can see…were busy helping officers on the ground so that’s our primary mission” said Sgt. Jerry King. 

Equipped with night vision goggles and a Forward Looking Infrared device, MSP says these eyes in the sky are equivalent to ten officers on the ground. But some in the community just don’t see it that way and after living it with for a weeks they say enough is enough.

“I was putting my daughter to bed and she doesn’t have a curtain in her window and the next thing I know this big bright search light shining through her room it freaked her out, I didn’t know what was going on” said LaceyAnn Barker.

Barker lives off College in Grand Rapids, she started a petition after that night. In about a month, more than 350 have supported it and everyday dozens more sign it.

“Flying at tree top-level disturbing the community I thought it did more harm than good.”Hundreds agree, they say its loud, disruptive and an invasion of privacy that’s not necessary. Barker says while she understands the need for more patrols, she doesn’t think it needs to be done in this way.

“The way that they did it the first time around I’m not the only one upset, there were a lot of people complaining that they were doing too much, flying to low at random hours of the night.”

Another big issue people have expressed on this petition, feeling tax-payer money is being wasted. But MSP says it costs less than one patrol officer a year, around $500,000 and the funding comes out of the Michigan State Police’s general fund that’s already budgeted.

Story and Video: http://fox17online.com

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