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Sheriff Dale R. Gribler and Mr. Jeff Mills of the Van Buren Intermediate School District report that there have been 170 reports received from area schools in the first six months of the current school year regarding truancy and/or behavior problems. This represents a 25% increase in the number of reports received in the same time frame during the 2006/2007 school year. Of those 170 reported incidents, 20 students have been petitioned to Juvenile Court to access further resources, compared to 21 last year at this time. There have been 8 parents charged in District Court for the truancy issues, compared to 6 in the same time frame last school year. These preliminary numbers are encouraging, as they show a lower percentage of interventions requiring court resources. The combined goal of both the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and the Van Buren Intermediate School District is to continue to reduce the percentage of cases going to court while improving both attendance and behavior issues in the local districts. Sheriff Gribler further reports that continued feedback from school administrators indicate having an officer dedicated to the intermediate school district and available to all school districts in the county has had a positive impact on the overall attendance and gives the schools another tool to use in correcting inappropriate behavior. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office proudly announced today Sheriff Dale R. Gribler has been re-elected chairman of Michigan’s Emergency Telephone Service Committee (ETSC) for 2008.
The ETSC addresses policies and procedures that relate to emergency telephone service, including routing of wireless 911 calls, transfer of emergency information between public safety answering points and transfer of wireless 911 calls between public safety answering points, among other initiatives. During Gribler’s tenure, the committee has made big strides. It created and staffed a state 911 administrator and office in Lansing; in December2007, it helped pass Public Acts 164 and 165, which help fund 911 operations by applying a surcharge to all devices that have the ability access 911 services in the past, only landlines were subject to a county-controlled surcharge. Those Public Acts also include the requirement of minimum training standards for 911 dispatchers who, in the past, were not given training criteria. “It is an honor to be selected as chair of the State 911 Committee. We have made great strides in Michigan and are recognized as one of the leaders in the nation regarding 911 services. I look forward to continuing the trend,” commented Sheriff Gribler. The ETSC will next meet March 18th in Lansing . For more information on the committee, please visit www.michigan.gov. Sheriff Gribler can be reached at 269-657-2006 ext. 200 Sheriff Dale R. Gribler and representatives from the Van Buren County Neighborhood Watch Association would like to invite residents of Hamilton Township to attend the first meeting for “Neighborhood Watch” that will be taking place on Wednesday March 5th, 2008 at 11:00 am. The location for this meeting will be at the Hamilton Township Hall, located at 52898 CR 352. Residents may ask why a Neighborhood Watch Program is needed in their community. During monthly meetings, Sheriff’s Department representatives and other speakers provide information on ways that people can protect themselves, others and their property. Van Buren County has many active Neighborhood Watch groups that heavily support the area they live in by learning how to watch, observe and report suspicious persons or activity. Current groups also provide a variety of services to their community by participation in parades, Halloween patrols, Van Buren County Youth Fair, area festivals, picnics and community assistance with cleanup of people’s property, parks and roadsides. Visit the Neighborhood Watch button at the top of this page or call 269-657-3101 ext. 821 for more information. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office proudly announced today it has received a $3,570 grant from the Alcoa Foundation, a non-profit arm of Alcoa Electrical and Electronic Solutions Mattawan, to purchase a new McGruff the Crime Dog costume The money is part of $65,000 the Alcoa Foundation made available to non-profits in 2007 for promoting child and family safety. The Sheriff’s Office plans to use the McGruff costume at a variety of events throughout the county -- parades, the Van Buren County Youth Fair and Halloween, for example -- as a way to teach citizens, especially children, ways to protect themselves and their property. “There’s a big emphasis on safety at Alcoa -- the safety of our employees, our equipment and anyone who’s on our property,”said Virginia M. Davis, a Human Resources manager at Alcoa EES Mattawan who also managed the grant applications. “We like to make safety interesting and fun,”Davis said. “The McGruff costume really ties into all of that.” Alcoa EES Mattawan is a subsidiary of Alcoa, the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities. It serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production, and other capabilities of Alcoa’s businesses as a single solution to customers. The Alcoa Foundation distributed more than $26 million in grants to 215 communities worldwide in 2006, with $90,000 of it going to nine non-profits serving southwest Michigan. “We’re obviously very appreciative of Alcoa’s efforts to support safety in our country,”Sheriff Dale R. Gribler said. “McGruff has always been an identifiable figure when it comes to safety, so we’re pleased to be able to carry on the tradition of using it to help our citizens. Sheriff Dale R. Gribler announced today the selection of Paul R. Edwards as Undersheriff. Edwards is the former commanding officer of the Michigan State Police Post in South Haven. He retired from the State Police in 2004 after serving for more than 26 years. Prior to enlisting in the State Police, Edwards worked for the Detroit Police Department as a patrolman. Since his retirement, Edwards has worked in the Emergency Management-Homeland Security Divisions for both the Van Buren and Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Offices. “With over 35 years of law enforcement experience in investigative and supervisory capacities, Edwards will be a valuable addition to our agency,”Sheriff Gribler said. “I am honored by this appointment and look forward to working with the professional men and women of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office,”Edwards said. Edwards is originally from Detroit. He and his wife of 36 years, Alice, have two grown children, daughter Stephanie and son Jeremy. Sheriff Dale R. Gribler and Mr. Jeff Mills of the Van Buren Intermediate School District advise that there have been 83 reports received from area schools in the first four months of the current school year regarding truancy and/or behavior problems. Of those 83 reported incidents, 10 students have been petitioned to Juvenile court to access further resources and 5 parents have been charged in District court for the truancy issues. Sheriff Gribler further reports that feedback from several school administrators indicate having an officer dedicated to the intermediate school district and available to all school districts in the county has had a positive impact on the overall attendance, and gives the schools another tool to use in correcting inappropriate behavior. The Sheriff's Office received three breaking and entering complaints Tuesday. At a recent ceremony in Lansing, Sheriff Dale R. Gribler accepted a leadership award from Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for protecting young drivers The Sheriff's Office earned the award for its implementation of the Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers (S.T.O.P.P.E.D.) program, which is sponsored by the Michigan Sheriff's Association. Van Buren County registered the most vehicles for countines with a population of 50,000 to 99,000. "This collaborative partnership will save lives and we are excited to do our part," said Secretary Land, who is making S.T.O.P.P.E.D. program information available to customers in 121 branch offices across the state. AAA Michigan is funding this voluntary program for the second consecutive year, striving to foster a partnership between parents and law enforcement to promote safe driving by teens. The notification feature makes parents aware of any potential problems and enables them to enforce rules they have set regarding teenage driving privileges. Information in the letter includes the time, location, number of passengers, reason for the stop and whether a citation was issued. "There is nothing more important to a parent than the protection of their children," Sheriff Gribler said. "I am very impressed with our citizens being involved and the S.T.O.P.P.E.D. program is here to help our parents, in conjunction with law enforcement, protect their children." Over the next few months the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office Reserve program will set up information booths at local school districts, parent-teacher conferences and winter athletic events to encourage more parents to become involved. Michigan’s fields and forests will soon be alive with blaze orange hunting gear for firearms deer season. Your hunting license and the identification used to purchase it (Michigan driver’s license, identification card, or DNR sport card) must be carried with you at all times while hunting. All hunters must wear an item of clothing (hat, cap, vest, jacket, or rain gear) in “hunter orange;”it must be the outermost garment; and it must be visible from all sides. If it is camouflage, at least 50 percent of the garment must be orange. Hunting hours begin approximately one-half hour before sunrise and last until approximately one-half hour after sunset. Safety zones include all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, house, cabin, barn or other farm building. You may not hunt in this area or shoot at any animal within this area, unless you have the written permission of the property owner. It is illegal to drink alcohol or use intoxicating drugs before hunting. Sheriff Gribler also wants hunters to take the following precautions to prevent injury or death while hunting this season: · Familiarize yourself with the area where you will be hunting · Never assume you are alone in the woods · Never assume other hunters are acting responsibly · If sitting against a rock or tree, make sure it is wider than your shoulders so you are not mistaken for a target · Be 100 percent sure of your target before shooting Sheriff Gribler urges all hunters to act responsibly this season: “Reacquaint yourself with Michigan’s hunting laws and follow these safety tips to prevent a tragedy from happening this year.”
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