Redford Roll Call

This month, members of the Redford Township Police Department participated in our annual training at Multi-Lakes Conservation Gun Club in Commerce. The goals of this training include re-certification in some of our firearms and non-lethal weapons, using force on force scenarios to prepare officers to make decisions and react under stress, and improving individual officer safety skills. The Firearms Cadre, our training team, set up a variety of exercises to test and improve the skills of our officers in these areas. This full day of training is attended by officers of all ranks and seniority, from brand new officers recently sworn in all the way up to Chief Lentine.

During the force on force scenarios, participant use simunitions. Simunitions are similar to a paint ball round. The simunitions are fired from the same make and model handguns that officers carry on the road each and every day. Officers are outfitted in protective gear, including face masks, to keep everyone safe. While there is little risk of injury from being struck by a simunition round, it stings! The officers are then presented with a variety of scenarios including those that require only verbal commands to those that utilize a Taser and those that involve gunfire between the officer and the "bad guy." Some of the scenarios involve moving back and forth between the various levels of force to achieve a safe and successful solution.

Officers work on tactical scenarios and routines utilizing safe movement and procedures with our patrol shotguns. These activities also consist of practicing how to clear malfunctions and transitioning to other weapons. The Cadre' work with officers on techniques on firing from various positions in the event that we are knocked to the ground. Some of the activities that work on firearms marksmanship consist of friendly challenges within the department as officers shoot at bowling pins for time and a target tree where the targets swing from side to side as officers shoot them.

Overall, the officers received excellent instruction and plenty of practice to help keep citizens, and ourselves, safe. Thank you the the Firearms Cadre' for developing and executing such quality training!

The State of Michigan has recently updated the fireworks laws. There have been many questions about how those changes effect Redford Township. Redford Township has separate ordinances in regard to fireworks. Currently, the Redford Township ordinance followed the previous state law allowing fireworks on the day before a holiday, the day of a holiday, and the day after a holiday. As such, our ordinances are currently more lenient than the state law. This is why fireworks were allowed for additional days surrounding Memorial Day last week. There are efforts being made to change the Redford Township Ordinance now.

Please see the state law regarding fireworks below.

The State Statue effective December 28, 2018, says: § 28.457. Local ordinances.

Sec. 7.

(1) Except as provided in this act, a local unit of government shall not enact or enforce an ordinance, code, or regulation pertaining to or in any manner regulating the sale, display, storage, transportation, or distribution of fireworks regulated under this act.

(2) A local unit of government may enact an ordinance regulating the ignition, discharge, and use of consumer fireworks, including, but not limited to, an ordinance prescribing the hours of the day or night during which a person may ignite, discharge, or use consumer fireworks. If a local unit of government enacts an ordinance under this subsection, the ordinance shall not regulate the ignition, discharge, or use of consumer fireworks on the following days after 11 a.m.:

(a) December 31 until 1 a.m. on January 1.

(b) The Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding Memorial Day until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days.

(c) June 29 to July 4 until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days.

(d) July 5, if that date is a Friday or Saturday, until 11:45 p.m.

(e) The Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding Labor Day until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days.

Sunday, June 2nd, is the annual Memorial Day Parade here in Redford Township! Community groups, marching bands, cub scouts, the Watch, and of course, Veterans, will be proudly walking Beech Daly from Six Mile past Town Hall! VFW Post 345 and Redford Township will be hosting a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park (right next to Town Hall) immediately following the parade. There will then be a Reception at the Marquee (located in the police station parking lot) with FREE ice cream and hot dogs that is open to the public! The parade steps off at 2:00pm!

Many groups and organizations host watching parties along the parade route. Bring the family out for a day of fun while remembering those who gave their life for our freedom!

Roads will begin closing between 1:15pm and 1:30pm and will re-open as the parade passes.

Roads closed include:

Beech Daly from Pickford through Graham.

Six Mile from Kinloch through Garfield.

Five Mile from Kinloch through Aubrey.

All smaller residential streets that open onto Beech Daly, Six Mile, or Five Mile. All business parking lots will also be closed from these roads.

The Western Wayne Special Operations Team (WWSOT) is a consortium made up officers from various Police Departments in the area such as Redford, Livonia, Canton, Plymouth, Garden City, and Van Buren. This is the team that is generally referred to as SWAT. The WWSOT is responsible for handling intense situations such as hostage rescues, barricaded gunman’s, and other high-stakes incidents that require more training and experience than the average officer receives. That being said, it should only be expected that SWAT team recruits go through rigorous and challenging training that mentally and physically tests them to become an Operator, the title of a SWAT team member. For this purpose, WWSOT hosts a “SWAT School” where recruits participate in training that is concentrated on physical stamina/mental toughness, safely clearing homes/buildings, weapons handling/shooting, less-lethal weapons, scenario training, and many more areas that must be absorbed by the recruits.

The WWSOT focuses on high-intensity physical training that is intended to test not only the physical stamina of a recruit but also his mental toughness. For each of the ten days of training recruits are put through a rigorous physical training program that is designed to push them to their limits and make them quit. This is done to simulate real-world situations where SWAT team members must maintain positions for hours at a time in unexpected weather conditions during high-intensity incidents. SWAT team members are asked to move, climb, carry, and fight while faced with significant levels of stress and physical exertion. The Operators must be physically and mentally prepared to complete these actions at a moment's notice.

Clearing homes and buildings where potential life-threatening situations await is one of the most dangerous times for an Operator. During the SWAT school, recruits are taught tactics that are best suited for such situations. Recruits ware taken to vacant homes, schools, and buildings where they participated in real-world scenarios. During these scenarios, simulation weapons are used to heighten adrenaline and provide insight that is as close to real incidents as possible. Recruits are closely examined by instructors and critiqued on their tactics to ensure that the recruits absorb as much knowledge as possible.

Fighting fire with fire. When a SWAT team is called out to an incident, it is a sure thing that weapons are involved and that they will be presented to the Operators as a threat. During the Swat School, recruits are trained in handling and operating weapons such as the AR-15 assault rifle, handguns, and shotguns. Every day of training consisted of hours live-fire shooting and weapons handling. Recruits are again closely inspected by instructors and assessed on how they handle their weapons safely and effectively.

Preservation of life is one of the biggest priorities of a SWAT team. This includes not only hostages, civilians, and the Operators themselves, but also the suspect. With that said, recruits are trained on less-lethal weapons such as the 37mm gas gun that deploys gasses such as CS, OC, and CN. These gasses are designed to be put into structures and cause psychological and physiological effects with the goal of making the suspect surrender. The gasses temporarily make it hard to breathe and see. Another less-lethal weapon is the 12 gauge bean-bag gun. The 12 gauge bean bag weapon is a shotgun that deploys a bean bag round designed to inflict pain, but not death or serious injury. This is also in hopes of making the suspect submit without deadly force.

All in all, the SWAT school hosted by the WWSOT is very well organized and demanded the very best out of each recruit. Five out of the thirteen passing recruits, including myself, will be joining the WWSOT. Now is when the real training begins for the recruits who clawed their way to becoming Operators!

-Police Officer, Edin Livadic

It is time for our annual Neighborhood Watch Picnic! This is a great event to come out and meet your neighbors from throughout the Township in a fun and casual way. We will be providing hot dogs and drinks, as well as some other tasty treats for all to enjoy. You are invited to bring a dessert or side to pass. Everyone is welcome!

As an added bonus, Kids Day is also on Saturday some come and check out some FREE activities for the kids. Bring the whole family!

Watch Picnic

Saturday, June 15th

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Bell Creek Park under the Festival Tent

Please send an email to jmansfield2@redfordpd.org if you plan on coming, just so we can make sure to have enough food! We will also create a Facebook event after this weekend.

The Redford Township Police Department is establishing another partnership with our community residents!

Technology is a part of our everyday lives and has been made much more affordable to the average person. Many of us have security cameras in and around our homes to increase our feelings of safety, deter crimes, and possibly assist police in catching a criminal. In years past, when a crime occurred in a neighborhood, officers and detectives spent a significant amount of time trying to find locations that may have video of the crime and activities of suspects / victims prior to or immediately following an incident. This overwhelming task often led to video evidence being lost due to standard video system methods of deletion or a delay in identification of suspects.

The Redford Township Police Department ass implemented our new Eyes on Redford program! Eyes on Redford is a 100% voluntary program where residents can notify RTPD that they have a recording security camera system, what directions those cameras may be pointed, and how long the video may be available for. This new database will allow investigators to reach out to the residents who may have evidence of a crime IMMEDIATELY!

To join Eyes on Redford, print out the attached form and return it to RTPD via mail (25833 Elsinore, Redford, MI 48239), email to Sgt. Mansfield at jmansfield2@redfordpd.org, or drop it off at the front desk.

Membership in the Eyes on Redford program will be kept confidential. RTPD values it's partnership with the community and recognizes that it takes a team to prevent crime!

Welcome to the News Beat! The Redford Township Police Department is reaching out to the community in yet another way! Each Thursday evening at approximately 6:00pm, Officer Mansfield takes to Facebook Live to update residents in what is happening in their neighborhoods. News Beat includes crime summaries, tips to protect yourself and your property, upcoming events, photos of people we are trying to locate or identify, and maybe even an occasional special guest! Stop in on the Redford Township Police Department Facebook page to check it out and please share with your friends!

6:00 pm each Thursday night

Nixle is a FREE texting and email alert system that allows the Redford Township Police Department to contact you with important information including road closures, active investigations, and snow emergencies. Nixle may also be used to remind you about community events and parade routes.

To register for Nixle, click here Nixle Sign Up. You register using your zip codes. Please remember to sign up for 48239 and 48240 to receive all messages from RTPD. You can sign up to receive alerts from up to 5 zip codes. You can even customize what kinds of alerts you would like to receive. Keep in mind that we use the Community designation for many of our messages, so if you do not accept those messages, you may miss out on information.

Redford Township Memorial Day Parade - Sunday, June 2nd, 2:00pm

RAD Women's Self Defense - Saturday and Sunday, June 8 & 9, 8:00am - 1:00pm, Redford Karate, 26143 Six Mile, $25, call to register 313-531-5700

Redford Township Fireworks - Friday, June 14th, dusk, Bell Creek Park, 5 Mile and Inkster

Neighborhood Watch Picnic - Saturday, June 15th, 12:00pm - 2:00pm, Bell Creek Park under the Festival tent

News Beat - Each Thursday night at 6:00pm on the Redford Township Police Department Facebook page

Non-Emergency Phone: 313-387-2551
Traffic Bureau: 313-387-2560
Detective Bureau: 313-387-2570
Narcotic Tip Line: 313-387-2540
Building Dept: 313-387-2680
Water and Sewer Dept: 313-387-2670
Animal Control: 313-387-2698

See Click Fix: https://en.seeclickfix.com/redford_2

Anonymous Citizen Tips: citizentips@redfordpd.org

The Redford Township Police Department, in partnership with our community, is committed to providing quality professional services that promote a secure environment for our citizens and business owners.

This agency looks forward to addressing the needs of our community to promote and improve the quality of life in Redford Township.

Email: jmansfield2@redfordpd.org
Website: www.redfordtwp.com/police.php
Location: 25833 Elsinore Street, Redford Charter Township, MI, United States
Phone: 313-387-2551
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Redford.Twp.Police