State Reps. David Martin and Mike Mueller are helping spearhead a plan to provide permanent and stable funding for a program that ensures rural Michigan communities have police protection.

The state’s secondary road patrol program provides funding for sheriff’s deputies to patrol roads outside of cities and villages. The program is funded by an assessment included in the fines paid on motor vehicle civil infractions, but this funding has declined in recent years. The number of deputies supported by the program peaked in 2001, declining since then as funding has fallen.

“The secondary road patrol program puts officers on patrol in neighborhoods outside of town, making sure they’re available to respond quickly in an emergency,” Martin said.  “We’re making changes to make sure this program is sustainable and that more officers aren’t pulled from the roads.”

Mueller, a retired sheriff’s deputy, said House Bills 5772, 5773, 5732 and 5569 will stabilize the funding by dedicating $15 million of the liquor taxes collected by the state each year to the program. The bills do not increase the tax on consumers in any way.

“Our neighborhoods are safer when deputies are out patrolling local roads,” Mueller said. “Rather than depending on officers to issue tickets, our plan provides a permanent dedicated funding source that will keep officers patrolling our local roads long into the future.”

The plan remains under consideration by the House Government Operations Committee, which Mueller chairs.

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