New mini-stations in Flint should help bring down calls for police to handle

By Trevor Sochocki, James Paxson

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    FLINT, Michigan (WNEM) — One mid-Michigan city is making it easier for people to get help and ease some of the strain on a stressed police force.

This past September, the Flint Police Department responded to 5,500 911 calls. Police are hoping the recently opened mini stations will bring some of those calls down.

“The service stations provide a place for citizens to come into and make some of those complaints so that patrol officers are free and available for higher priority calls,” said Detective Sgt. Tyrone Booth from the Flint police.

Booth said the mini stations have been around before. The pandemic put a hold on opening them back up.

The mini stations are designed to handle neighborhood calls, like noise complaints or speeding. Anything that requires emergency attention should go to the police station downtown. The stations are operated by unpaid volunteers.

“I believe we trained about eighteen volunteers, so they are spread throughout the city and the different stations. And we’ll be recruiting and continuing to train,” Booth said.

Three of the active mini stations are at the Hasselbring Senior Center, Midway Townhomes Apartment Complex, and Kettering University.

“We wanted to make sure that we had locations in every sector of the community, north, south, east, and west. Because of the size of some of those sections we’ll have more than one station,” Booth said.

Residents can walk into the station and speak with a volunteer or write up a complaint at the computer.

“These stations will be a beacon of assistance to provide help to citizens, a place where they can come and have meetings, meet different commanders and leaders in our agency and the police department, and a place where they can come, and we can bridge the gap,” Booth said.

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