Gratiot County Sheriff's Office

In existence since 1855, the Gratiot County Sheriff's Office has expanded from a single car sent out as needed to round-the-clock coverage every day of the year, and it is now the lead law enforcement agency for the county, with road patrol responsible for more than 500 square miles of mid-Michigan. Road patrol deputies investigate crimes and crashes, enforce traffic law and handle everything from domestic assaults and homicides to delivering death notifications, and they also act as court officers for transports and bailiff duty. Special services run through road patrol as well, including marine patrol, secondary road patrol and drug enforcement. The Gratiot County Jail, renovated in 2001, holds up to 70 inmates with 13 full-time staff, a jail administrator and up to six temporary corrections officers, and it offers religious services and alternative education to reduce reoffending. Each summer the Gratiot Area Youth Police Academy introduces young people to patrol procedures, impaired-driving investigations, K-9 demonstrations, courtroom and constitutional law, first aid and firearm safety, and the office fingerprints concealed pistol license applicants by appointment.