2019
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor
Waterford Township Police Det. Chris Belling is known for putting the members of his local MAP unit first, so it’s fitting he is the first recipient of the Richard C. Heins Outstanding Leadership Award.
In a tribute to longtime MAP Executive Board President Rich Heins, the Outstanding Leadership Award recognizes MAP, MAPE and MAFF Local Union Stewards who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to serve fellow members. Heins passed away unexpectedly April 28, 2019, shortly after retiring from the Sterling Heights Police Department and becoming a MAP, MAPE and MAFF Labor Relations Specialist.
“He was well-known for putting the needs of members above his own. As President of MAP, he set policy through turbulent times in 2007,” said Mike Kunath, MAP Executive Board Vice President and a longtime Sterling Heights Police comrade. An MCOLES Commissioner since 2017, Kunath said, Heins “articulated actual needs of officers and was an advocate of training.”
Det. Belling was nominated by MAP staff for the award. The Waterford Township Police Officers Association President, former Association Vice President and Secretary has served on the Local Board for the past decade, running unopposed every election since the first time he ran against another candidate and won. Members know when the going gets tough, they can count on Triple B “By the Book Belling” as he is affectionally known for his tenacity.
“Chris takes grievances personally if he feels the Employer is being unjust or unfair,” said MAP Executive Board Treasurer Al Knapp, a Waterford Township Police Detective. “It seems to bother him as much or more than the actual grievant. He puts his heart and soul into being a union representative.”
“He also recognizes that mistakes are made, and we must be accountable, but the accountability must be reasonable and uniform,” Knapp said. “If he feels it isn’t, he will dig in his heels and put up an intense fight.”
On their last session day of the year before the holidays, the House and Senate sent a 10-bill package of Internet and sports betting legislation to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is expected to sign them into law. The House and Senate also passed and sent to the Governor a deal between Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Whitmer for the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. In addition to the $573.5 million in restored spending in two supplemental bills (SBs 152 and 154) Gov. Whitmer agreed to give the Legislature a 30-day heads up if the state Administrative Board attempts to move money around with departments (HB 5176). This notice gives the Legislature the ability to act pre-emptively. The Secretary of State is replacing 93 old kiosks with new user-friendly self-service stations and adding 57 more for a total of 150. New stations will be located in grocery stores, including Kroger and Meijer, where many customers already do business. Customers will pay a technology fee of $3.95 for every vehicle renewed at a self-service station. Gov. Whitmer is urging the Legislature to pass legislation to pause the implementation of Michigan Medicaid work requirements until the federal courts determine if they are legal. But Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey told the press, “Nope, not necessary.” Cameras could be added to school bus stop-arms through HB 5041, which would allow for school buses to photograph or video the license plate numbers of cars that pass illegally while students are loading or unloading. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has signed into law SB 174, requiring producers to make sure all Michigan egg-laying hens are in cage-free systems. The law takes effect in December 2024.
For more information on these and other legislative issues, please click here for the December 2019 Karoub Report.
By Jennifer Gomori, MAP Editor with excerpts from news media
Trenton Police Sgt. Stephen Lyons was honored as the first MAP Officer of the Year for saving the life of a woman who drove her vehicle into the Detroit River Dec. 17, 2018.
Sgt. Lyons was presented the inaugural 2019 MAP Officer of the Year Award during MAP’s Annual Holiday Open House Dec. 13. State Senator Gary Peters wrote a letter honoring Lyons’ heroic actions, which Jim Curran of Karoub Associates read during the Open House.
“In your job every day, you have shown courage, leadership and heroism,” wrote Sen. Peters. “It is officers such as yourself that make Michigan a great place to live.”
Lyons and other Trenton Officers arrived on scene near the corner of West Road and Riverside Drive around 3:50 p.m. to see the woman’s SUV being pulled downriver by the strong current. They quickly searched the area for a way to reach the vehicle. Lyons discovered a kayak and paddle near a neighboring home and Trenton Officer Alex Blum pulled the kayak over to the river while Lyons removed his body armor and gear.
Lyons paddled over to the SUV and used the paddle to break a vehicle window. He reached inside the sinking SUV with the paddle and the driver grabbed onto it, pulling the paddle from Lyons hands as the car sank underwater. Seconds later, the woman and the paddle emerged from the frigid water. Sgt. Lyons grabbed ahold of her with one arm while using the other to paddle toward shore.
Once he was close enough, Trenton Fire Fighters threw a life preserver to Sgt. Lyons and pulled the two safely to shore.
The driver was transported to the hospital where she recovered. She was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Sgt. Lyons was treated for exposure to the 36-degree water inside an ambulance at the scene. While in the ambulance, a young woman approached him and thanked Sgt. Lyons for saving her mother, despite everything her family had put him through.
In response to House and Senate Republicans ranking road funding third on their 2019 session priority list behind auto-insurance reform and the budget, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she will not sign any Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 spending plan that doesn’t include the road-funding piece. House Judiciary Chair Representative Graham Filler (R-DeWitt) said, “…there is nothing in writing yet but ‘two or three’ plans are being kicked around that do not include Gov. Whitmer’s new formula for distributing new road dollars… and it is not going to include the 45-cent gas tax hike…” Based on a recent poll, it appears Gov. Whitmer’s statewide effort to garner support for a 45-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase to “fix the damn roads” is failing. Almost 75 percent of residents are opposed, according to a recent poll. Gov. Whitmer unveiled two tuition-free programs in her first State of the State address and budget proposal. One provides free community college for graduating seniors and those over 25 years old, earning good grades and completing the process in a timely manner. Another bases funding on grades and income and can be applied to a four-year degree. The three branches of state government are joining together in a state task force to focus on jail and pretrial incarceration, with the goal of improving the effectiveness of the front end of Michigan’s justice system, according to an executive order signed by Gov. Whitmer. Attorney General Dana Nessel has opined that the Line 5 (oil pipeline) tunnel law is unconstitutional, saying provisions go beyond the scope of what was disclosed in its title. The Michigan Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for July 17 to consider the House and Senate’s requests for an opinion on whether the Legislature can amend two citizen-initiated laws during the same session they were adopted in, after the Legislature did that to the minimum wage and paid sick time ballot proposals. For more on these and other legislative issues, click here for the April 2019 Karoub Report.
Michigan Association of Police Organizations (MAPO) recently sent a letter urging Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature to come up with a budget deal generating over $2 billion to fix Michigan roads.
The letter discourages reductions in General Fund revenue to fix roads, which reduces funding to public safety and first responders. A proposed change in the sales tax on fuel could cause an additional $200 million loss to General Fund revenue, according to MAPO.
Click here to view MAPO’s Road Budget Recommendation.
- State budget on hold, 17 year olds no longer 'adults' in crimes, deer baiting debated, sports betting supported
- Trenton Police use new device to rescue man who fell through ice
- Judge blocks vaping ban, online sales tax expansion, clean drinking water changes on tap
- Government shutdown concerns, vaping flavors banned, unemployment reform proposed