Sterling, Shelby police unite to capture criminals along border

STERLING HEIGHTS/SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Golden Corridor of M-59/Hall Road will not be a golden opportunity for crooks and criminals, if a police partnership between Sterling Heights and Shelby Township proves itself.

The Sterling Heights and Shelby Township police departments are uniting to carry out Operation Direct Impact, which will assign their respective directed patrol units to collaborate while keeping an eye on the border between the two communities. Those officers reportedly plan to ticket or arrest people who are violating traffic laws, narcotics laws, weapon laws and more.

In a Sept. 11 statement from the Sterling Heights Police Department, SHPD Chief Dale Dwojakowski said that criminals “don’t stop at city borders, and neither should our efforts to stop them.”

In a Sept. 12 email, SHPD Capt. Mario Bastianelli said discussions over the patrol unit collaboration have been taking place over the past couple of weeks. He said the SHPD is always seeking ways to keep residents safe, and they are also excited to work with Shelby Township’s police.

“Our Directed Patrol Officers are some of our best, most experienced, and motivated officers,” Bastianelli said. “They are very good at finding criminals and taking them to jail.”

Bastianelli explained that between the two departments’ directed patrol units, they will assign six police officers and two sergeants to this operation. He said the plan will focus on common paths that criminals take between the two cities – not just Hall Road, but also Van Dyke Avenue, and Mound, Ryan and Dequindre roads.

“Not only do they travel these roads but (they) enter commercial and residential areas to find and victimize our citizens,” he said.

In the SHPD’s statement, Shelby Township police Chief Robert Shelide called the team effort “long overdue” and a way to share resources and be more efficient.   

“Some of our most skilled officers will be assigned to this operation,” Shelide said. “I’m confident that this collaborative effort will have an immediate impact on keeping criminals off the streets and crime out of our communities.”

When asked for further comment, Shelide said in an email that both departments have worked together before to catch felons. He added that one benefit of the collaboration is that the SHPD is almost twice his department’s size and has “tremendous resources.”

“I’ve seen the work product of SHPD’s Directed Patrol Unit and I am extremely impressed,” Shelide said. “They have a select few officers that are highly skilled and determined to keep their streets safe and they are really good at what they do, i.e. arresting criminals carrying illegal handguns, possessing and selling illicit/ hard drugs and driving stolen vehicles.

“I also know the work product of our DPU and am equally impressed. I have no doubt this collaboration will be successful.”

Shelide said the border has been used by “several organized criminal groups” that aim to steal businesses’ high-value items. Thieves also have targeted purses, often from elderly women, to gain access to credit cards, he said.

Shelide added that he hopes to see felony arrests of criminals who illegally possess guns, drugs, stolen vehicles and more. He said the pilot program will be judged based on such arrests and results, and will set the benchmark for future collaborations.

“Obviously as chief, I want and expect results,” he added.

Learn more about the Sterling Heights Police Department by visiting sterling heights.gov. For information about the Shelby Township Police Department, visit shelbytownshippolice.org.