Oakland County Sheriff MikeBouchardsays politicians in Lansing and Washington are not listening to the needs of law enforcement.
Bouchard says police officers are a popular political target.
“I’m frustrated by the constant peppering of law enforcement from both the Far Right and the Far Left,” says Bouchard. “The Far Right seems to think we’re part of the NSA, and the Far Left wants to disarm us.”
Bouchard says federal and state lawmakers are busy passing “knee jerk” legislation while leaving pressing issues untouched.
Bouchard spent an hour Tuesday laying out what he called “Policing 2.0”.
He says Michigan police departments need new training facilities at a cost of $50 million.
The Oakland County sheriff says he would also like to see the state keep track of officer involved injuries and deaths and the use of force.
But while Bouchard supports the use of body cameras, he opposes allowing much of what’s recorded to be public record. He says that may violate the privacy of innocent people.
