|
Berrien County
Sheriff's
Department
Reserve Division
Web Page Hosted by Tim Richards
Reserve
Captain 
Sheriff L. Paul Bailey
Undersheriff Chuck
Heit
Chief Deputy Samuel
Harris
MISSION
STATEMENT: The mission statement of the Berrien County
Sheriff's Department is to enforce the laws of the State and County,
safeguard life and property, prevent and detect crime, preserve the
peace, and protect the rights of all citizens. We will serve
all citizens with fairness, integrity, respect, and compassion
without discrimination of any person or
groups.
INDEX:
______________________________________________________________________________
WEB AUTHOR NOTE: NRLO is proud to
introduce the Berrien County Sheriff's Reserve Unit to its
readers. Be sure to check back often for more information and
photographs from this fine Reserve Unit.
About Berrien County
Berrien County is located in the Southwestern most corner of
Michigan. The county encompasses over 585 square miles in area
with a population of 163,000 residents in over 63,000
households. The county includes 58 inland lakes, three rivers,
and 42 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. The major
metropolitan areas include the cities of Niles, Benton Harbor, and
St. Joseph. The county has a long history of agriculture,
manufacturing, and tourism.
Located in St. Joseph, the
Berrien County Sheriff's Department is comprised of several
divisions. The Jail Division is comprised of 78 sworn Jail
staff and operates a facility capable of handling over 340
inmates. The Road Patrol Division operates with 26 Deputies
providing 24-hour coverage throughout the county. The
Department also includes a Detective Bureau, Marine Division,
Narcotics Unit, Tactical Response Unit, Bomb Squad, HAZMAT Response
Team, Underwater Dive Team, Emergency Management Division, Crime
Prevention Unit, Mounted Division of 26 Deputies, and a Reserve Unit
with 40 Reserve Deputies.
_______________________________________________________
Back to
INDEX
Berrien County Sheriff's Reserve
Division
Officer-in-Charge: Sgt. Tim Ganus
Assistant
Officer-in-Charge: Deputy Steve Campbell
Reserve
Captain: Tim Richards
Reserve Lieutenants: Ken Jewell,
Dick Mann
Reserve Sergeants: Jim LaRoux, Duane Miller, Tom
Dumminger, Earl Osban, Clint Mettler
The Reserve Unit was formed in
1977, in response to a new Michigan law which required that all
persons must have training before they could perform Law Enforcement
duties for the Sheriff's Office. The first Reserve School was
held at Lake Michigan College. Thirty-six Reserve Graduates
served under Sheriff Nick Jewell.
The first duties performed by
the Unit were to provide extra security for the Blossom Parade and
for the Berrien County Youth Fair. In addition to these two
important county events, they now monitor over 20 different summer
events and provide security for the Silver Beach County Park.
They also assist the Crime Prevention Unit with community education
programs. They may be called upon to help search for lost
children or missing persons. In addition, the Unit works
side-by-side with full-time Deputies on Road Patrol, in the Jail,
and in the 911 Central Dispatch.
Reserve responsibilities have
been expanded to provide crime scene security, property checks, and
VIP security details in conjunction with regular Deputies. In
2004, the Unit assisted with security during visits by President
George W. Bush and again when Vice President Cheney toured the
area. The Reserve Unit also works with the
Emergency Management Unit and with the Emergency Operations
Center providing security during drills and exercises involving two
nearby nuclear plants. This activity not only provides
valuable assistance during exercises but it also serves as training
should an emergency situation arise.
Berrien County Sheriff's
Reserve Deputies are required to complete a 72-hour training academy
spread over 12 weeks to prepare the individual to work with other
Law Enforcement agencies. Upon completion of the training
period, the Reserve Deputy is required to serve a minimum of eight
hours per month of active duty, and three hours of training per
month. In 2004, the Reserve Division worked over 9,000 man
hours serving the citizens of Berrien County.
______________________________________________
Back to
INDEX
Berrien County Sheriff Reserves
Fingerprint Over 500 Children
(Photographs taken
and provided by Captain Tim Richards)
The Berrien County Sheriff's
Department again participated in the annual "Kid's Fair 2005" on
Saturday, October 15 at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center in
Benton Harbor. 
Photo right:
(Left to right): Sergeant Dumminger, Deputy Staneart, Deputy
McKie, Deputy Clubs, and Captain Richards.
The Sheriff's Department booth
was manned by members of the Reserve Division who fingerprinted
children of all ages and handed out Child ID Kits to parents and
Junior Deputy Badge stickers to the children. The number of
children fingerprinted and identified was estimated at over
500. 
Photo
left: Deputies Clubs and McKie fingerprint
children shile Deputy Staneart explains the hild ID program to the
parents. 
Photo right:
Deputy Clubs fingerprints local children.
Photo left:
Sergeant LaRoux fills out Child ID Cards prior to
fingerprinting.
The annual Kid's Fair is
sponsored by the Radio Stations of the Michigan's Great Southwest in
conjunction with the Watervliet Community Hospital. The event
hosted 29 exhibitors which included local Fire Departments, health
organizations, emergency services, and children's
organizations.
________________________________________________
Back to
INDEX
Berrien County,
MI
19 Officers Graduate
from
2008 Reserve Academy
Photos and
article were submitted by Captain Timothy
Richards
The Berrien County Sheriff's
Department's 2008 Reserve Academy Graduation was held on November
18, 2008, at the Lake Charter Township Hall in Bridgman, MI.
In total, 19 Officers from eight different Departments graduated
following the 13-week training program.
Participating Departments
included:
-
Andrews University
Department of Public Safety
-
Baroda-Lake Township
Police Department
-
Berrien County Sheriff's
Department - Reserve Division
-
Berrien County Sheriff's
Department - Mounted Division
-
Berrien Springs-Oronoko
Township Police Department
-
Buchanan Police
Department
-
Eau Claire Police
Department
-
New Buffalo Police
Department
These new Reserves will join
their Departments and become valuable assets to their
communities. Captain Richards told NRLO, "We congratulate
each one of them for their dedication to the safety and well being
of the citizens of Berrien County." 
LEFT TO RIGHT: Assistant OIC
Deputy Soulard, newly graduated Deputy Ark, and Captain
Richards.
_________________________________________________________________
Back to
INDEX
Lieutenant Richard Mann Receives
NRLO's
"2008 Distinguished Service Award"
for 40 Years of
Service 
At the Department Christmas
Dinner on December 20, 2008, Lieutenant Richard Mann was presented
with NRLO's "2008 Distinguished Service Award."
Lieutenant Mann has served
40 years as a Reserve for the Department. He is the longest
serving Reserve in Department history.
NRLO has been informed that
Lieutenant Mann was surprised and was grateful for the
recognition. Congratulations, Lieutenant Mann.
_______________________________
Reprinted below is the
verbiage from the nomination letter
submitted to NRLO by Captain
Timothey P. Richards.
________________________________________________________
Reserve Division
Berrien
County Sheriff's Department
919 Port Street, St. Joseph,
Michigan 49085-1184
Telephone (269) 983-7141 - Fax (269)
983-3240
National Reserve Law Officers
Association
Director Leon Schumacher
P.O. Box 6505
San
Antonio, Texas 78209
October 30, 2008
Dear Director
Schumacher:
As the Captain of the Berrien
County Sheriff Reserve Division, I wish to nominate the following
Reserve Deputy for a Service Award.
Name:
Lt. Richard Mann
Dept.: Berrien
County Sheriff's Dept. - Reserve Division
Award
Requested: Service
Award
Nominator: Captain Tim Richards on
behalf of Sheriff L. Paul Bailey and Officer in Charge of the
Reserve Division, Lt. Tim Ganus.
Lt. Mann has proudly served
the Berrien County Sheriff's Department and the citizens of Berrien
County since 1968, with this December being the completion of his
40th year of service with the Reserve Division. Lt. Mann is
the longest serving Reserve in Department history. Throughout
the years, Lt. Mann has been instrumental in the organization of the
Unit as a Command Officer and has been the Officer in charge of
numerous events and call-outs. Lt. Mann has provided
countless hours of volunteer service through the years and has
consistently had the most hours served per year of any individual
Unit member.
If Lt. Mann is approved by the NRLO for the service award, we
would like to present him with the award at our Department Christmas
Dinner on December 20, 2008. The award may be mailed to me for
presentation to Lt. Mann. If you have any questions regarding
this request, please feel free to contact me at your
convenience.
Sincerely,
Captain Timothy P. Richards
________________________________________________________
Back to INDEX
Visit the
impressive web site of
Michigan's Berrien County Sheriff's
Department
at www.bcsheriff.org.
Back to
INDEX
NATIONAL RESERVE LAW
OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 6505 SAN
ANTONIO, TX 78209 (210)
805-8917 | 
