Kalahari contracts with cops

HURON TWP. — Based on some events threatening public safety, which include a shooting and a large fight from earlier this year, a local water park recently took action. The hope: to deter serious criminal activity from happening there. Kalahari Resorts executives contracted with the Erie County Sheriff's Office so law enforcement personnel can provide on-site patrols, which deputies have done these past few weeks. Additionally, the sheriff's office then worked out a separate but related agreement with police departments in Huron and Perkins Township for those officers, at times, to provide mutual aid assistance. Before this occurred, Kalahari employed a security force but did rely upon deputies to handle serious offenses and make subsequent arrests. These calls ranged from thefts to domestics and those aforementioned violent incidents. Kalahari intends to keep its security force. Those employees, however, aren't sworn law enforcement officers, can't make arrests and don't possess lethal weapons, such as guns. Security guards, who will work alongside deputies and officers, can detain suspects until law enforcement personnel arrives. Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth provided some additional details The deal: "Kalahari contacted me (in the recent past) and requested to pay for deputies working overtime to be present at the resort every evening to maintain a visible uniformed presence near the main entrance, primarily to prevent the occurrence of criminal activity and to immediately respond if any such activity is reported." The backup: "Our personnel were unable to fill all of that overtime, so I then reached out to the city of Huron and Perkins Township and asked for collaborative mutual aid assistance from their respective police departments to help staff this proactive initiative. Both governmental entities agreed to allow their officers to provide the mutual aid as requested, and their officers have been working with us at the resort since then." The payment: "Kalahari is directly reimbursing our entities — Erie County, Perkins Township and/or the city of Huron, dependent upon those working — for all personnel costs associated with the overtime staffing." The issues: "There have certainly been recent acts of criminal violence at Kalahari that have been widely reported, particularly the incident involving shots being fired in the parking lot and the fight in the water park involving a large number of individuals. This initiative is a proactive approach by Kalahari management designed to prevent the reoccurrence of similar criminal acts and to provide an immediate response to any criminal activity that may occur in conjunction with Kalahari's security staff." The reason: "The request for this overtime detail was made directly by Kalahari. I believe that the motivation for this request was due to the incidents noted (previously) as well as a general idea to provide for additional crime prevention measures for the protection and security of Kalahari guests and not necessarily related to any particular statistics." The procedure: "The standard procedure for a 911 call originating from Kalahari has not changed: • The dispatcher taking the call will determine if the emergency is medical and/or criminal in nature and will dispatch the appropriate public safety personnel: Huron Fire Department and/or sheriff's office personnel. • If the call requires a law enforcement response and, if law enforcement personnel are on duty at Kalahari, they are dispatched to the call along with the zone deputy(ies) working that area if needed. • If no overtime personnel are working at Kalahari at the time a law enforcement-related 911 call is received, a zone deputy would be dispatched." The goal: "We hope that this initiative will cause an overall, long-term decrease in law enforcement-related calls for service at Kalahari. That decrease will then benefit the large number of daily resort guests, the majority of whom are not in the area to engage in illegal activities, but are here to enjoy the various tourist activities available to them and their families."