Waterloo Township officials shut down police department

WATERLOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Officials in Waterloo Township have decided to shut down its police department after months of uncertainty.

The township's board voted unanimously last week to shut down the department as of Feb. 1. Current employees will receive two weeks' severance from the township, and Police Chief Rob Reznick will be paid an hourly rate as he works to shut down all areas of the department.

The board will decide which assets within the police department should be sold or absorbed after all of the items have been inventoried.

The Jackson Citizen Patriot (http://bit.ly/1D0Mjoh ) reports residents voted against a proposed millage in November. The most recent public safety millage expired at the end of 2014, leaving the township unable to cover the $156,000 annual cost of the police department.

Waterloo Township is in Jackson County, northeast of Jackson.

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Information from: Jackson Citizen Patriot, http://www.mlive.com/jackson