Deputies, trustees talk about patrols

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Last June, the Macomb Township Board of Trustees extended its contract with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office for policing services and added an additional sergeant. On Feb. 26, trustees got to find out what they have been paying for.

Sgt. Ryan Piszczek and Lt. Kevin Gillespie took to the podium at the board’s final February meeting to give a rundown of how things were going with the addition of Piszczek to the substation.

“We’ve seen these dramatic numbers since (Piszczek has) been in charge of the midnight shift,” Gillespie said. “And not that there was anything wrong with midnights, but with the command structure you get so much more with direction and just someone to take the lead on the shift and lead by example, and that’s what we have with Ryan.”

Piszczek’s goal going into the role was to keep productivity high and, since the start, he has seen productivity increase though self-initiated calls. Instead of calls from the public to 911 or nonemergency lines, self-initiated calls occur when deputies find something to look into while on patrol.

“That’s driving around and checking subdivisions for car doors that are open, garage doors that are open, checking businesses, walking around complexes making sure nobody left their door open,” Piszczek said. “It’s how we find a lot of work on midnights. You get calls during the day that are popular like larceny from autos. Well, those happen on midnight shifts. So if guys are in the subdivisions and they’re looking for these sorts of things, then that’s important to deter crime as well as (to) find it as soon as it happens.”

In January 2025, the substation logged 885 self-initiated calls, an increase over the 300 or so logged in January 2024. One reason for the increase is a push by Piszczek for improved documentation of work performed.

“Somebody on a routine patrol may drive through a subdivision three or four times but they might not exactly document it the way that it should be,” Piszczek said. “For example, we would pull a general number for a subdivision check, and that’s an important metric for me to understand (that) this deputy went through that subdivision and they pulled a number for it, so we can say he was accountable and was there and did it. And then we can see what activities lead to finding those (incidents) and which areas lead to finding those open businesses and stuff like that.”

Piszczek patrols the township along with serving as the midnight shift sergeant. He was responsible for 60 of the 885 self-initiated calls in January.

 

Capital improvement plan
Trustees also approved the fiscal year 2026 five-year water and sewer capital improvement plan, a multimillion-dollar plan outlining expected expenditures for upcoming maintenance projects.

“The goal of the (capital improvement plan) is to have the water and sewer systems be maintained to stay current to avoid a state of disrepair,” Department of Public Works Director Kevin Johnson said. “We’re trying to avoid kicking the can down the curb which could lead to emergencies and more costly repairs in the future.”

Upcoming projects for 2026 include the first phase of water main replacements in Plum Grove Village, replacing pump station No. 1 and expanding the department of public works’ headquarters.

The capital improvement plan was approved unanimously.