Sumpter Township named 34th safest community in Michigan

Sumpter Township is rated 34th out of the 50 safest municipalities in the state Michigan.
Sumpter Police Chief Jim Pierce made the announcement at the Aug. 25 meeting of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees.
Police Captain Eric Luke said Safewise.com announced its list of safe communities, studying municipalities statewide with more than 5,000 residents.
Captain Luke said Huron Township was #50 and Canton Township was #45. He said Van Buren Township was not on the list and the city of Belleville has fewer than 5,000 residents and didn’t qualify.
Sumpter’s listing said:
Roadside fruit stands and people on horseback are common sights in this safe community. Sumpter Township may have a country feel, but it’s 100% modern when it comes to fighting crime. The city uses Nixle to keep residents informed about important safety information. This service allows two-way communication in real time through text, email, social media, voicemail, and a mobile Nixle app.
Population: 9,310
Violent Crimes per 1,000: 1.50
Property Crimes per 1,000: 11.60
Safewise.com explains: “To identify the 50 safest cities in Michigan, we started by looking at cities with a population of more than 5,000 residents in 2013, as well as those that did not make a complete crime report to the FBI. From there, we analyzed the most recent FBI Crime Report Statistics from 2013 for each city, including both property crime (arson, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft) and violent crime (robbery, murder, aggravated assault, rape). Then, to make everything equitable, we calculated the chance of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.”
Township board members and members of the public congratulated the police department on its work to keep Sumpter safe.
In other business at the Aug. 25 meeting, the board:
• Watched the Parks and Recreation Commission present a plaque to Dave Seegert of Republic Waste/Carleton Farms to thank the companies for all the help it has given to Sumpter Township, cluding paying for the fireworks at Sumpter Fest for many years and sending out machinery to smooth the ground at the fairgrounds and at township parks;
• Approved a new lease for WIC which will be moving from the post office building to the community center next door. The service comes to serve the community three days a week. The rent is $500 a month with the township paying for utilities. WIC is the federal nutritional program for Women, Infants and Children;
• Approved the sale of three old golf carts for $900, with the money going to the Parks and Recreation Fund;
• Approved the fire fighters’ annual chicken broil at fire station #1 from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, at a cost of $10 per person. The fire hall is at 20550 Sumpter Road at the corner of Kozma;
• Approved the request of fire fighter Anthony Spitznagel to return from a leave of absence;
• Approved the resignation of fire fighter Jason Reeves. Trustee Bill Hamm, who is also a fire fighter, said he understands the reason for his leaving, but he’s going to be missed dearly. “He’s a good guy. The nicest guy I ever knew,” Hamm said;
• Approved the purchase of four portable radios for the fire department at a cost of $6,695.65 from Advanced Wireless Telecom; and
• Heard Mary Ban say her husband Barney is making progress after having six heart bypasses. She said his doctor said he wants Barney to get out now and “live life.” Mary, who usually attends every township board meeting, was absent for three meetings in a row because of her husband’s health and a church event and Supervisor John Morgan said he has missed her and her comments.