Lack of Liability Insurance Leads to Shut Down of Michigan Police Department

Officials in a small Saginaw County village have shut down their police department until it gets liability insurance.

The Saginaw News reports the Oakley Board of Trustees voted 5-1 on Sept. 9 to disband the force of about a dozen certified officers. The village has a population of 300 but about 100 reserve officers.

The Michigan Municipal League told Oakley it would lose its insurance coverage earlier this year. The insurance carrier cited lawsuits filed against the village and concerns about the police department as reasons for ending coverage July 1.

The village secured municipal insurance on July 1 but it doesn’t cover the police department.

Board of Trustees President Pro Tem Sue Dingo told another trustee during the meeting that she didn’t know how much liability insurance would cost.