Department of Public Safety

Director of Public Safety:
Email:
Location:

Emergency:
Non-Emergency Telephone:
TDD:
Fax:

Office Hours:

Andrew Pazuchowski
apazuchowski@gpwmi.us
20025 Mack Plaza
Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236

911
(313) 343-2400
(313) 343-9249
(313) 343-2439

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday-Friday*

General Information

Personal safety and the safety of private property are the primary goals of the city’s Department of Public Safety. The city has had a combined police/fire/ambulance service since 1944. Public Safety officers perform police and firefighter duties and also are cross-trained as medical first responders or basic emergency medical technicians. The department has a complement of 40 sworn officers and seven civilian paramedics. The department is responsible for:

The Public Safety Department operates a four-platoon system that works a 12-hour shift rotation for the patrol force and a three-platoon 24-hour shift for the fire/paramedic personnel. Two trained medical personnel and various other public safety officers are on duty at all times to operate the fire trucks (two 1,250 gallons per minute pumpers and one 90-foot aerial tower) and to maintain the Advanced Life Support status on the ambulance. In the event of a structure fire, the fire apparatus and ambulance are met at the scene by patrol officers. In most cases, one or more patrol officers reach the scene of an emergency before the arrival of the fire apparatus. Usually no fewer than seven personnel respond to a fire run, with less serious runs receiving a slightly reduced amount of responding personnel and equipment.

Grosse Pointe Woods provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) for its residents. This requires the ambulance to be supported by a paramedic and an emergency medical technician (both licensed by the State) at all times. ALS allows the crew to administer drugs, start IVs, and intubate and defibrillate patients under the authority of the emergency room doctors at the local hospitals. The ambulance is equipped with direct radio communication to all local hospitals.

The Detective Bureau handles cases referred to it by the uniformed service. It also investigates all cases which go beyond the Traffic Court level, as well as violations of local ordinances which are non-traffic in nature. The Detective Supervisor oversees the officers of the Youth Service Division, Traffic Safety, and Crime Prevention units of Public Safety. The Youth Service Division, Traffic Safety, and Crime Prevention units work closely with public and private schools to provide educational programs to students and residents.

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Community Notification Service

The City of Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety has launched a new Community Notification Service called “Nixle” to provide communication with people who live, work, and visit our area. The system provides a quick, efficient, and secure way to get neighborhood-level information out to community members who subscribe to the system. Through www.nixle.com , the public safety department will be able to send text message (SMS) and e-mail alerts to subscribers in a specific area, down to .25 miles.

Through Nixle, we will deliver messages securely to citizens by e-mail and cell phone, supporting and expanding our community outreach efforts. The system will be most effective when we have large numbers of subscribers. Please spread the word about our use of the system. Nixle Informational updates will be disseminated from the City of Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety by e-mail and cell phone.

Click here to register

Nixle is a secure communications service. There is NO SPAM or advertising associated with Nixle messages. The system is available at no cost.

**Standard text message rates apply for subscribers who do not have text plans with their cell phone providers**

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Compute-A-Care

Compute-A-Care is an automatic telephone calling service for residents who are reassured of personal safety by daily phone calls by the Public Safety Department. A computer automatically calls the resident daily at a pre-approved time. If no one answers the phone, a Public Safety officer responds to the home to assure the resident is safe. The service is upon request and without charge and can be obtained by calling the Department at 343-2400.

Crime Hotline

Call 343-2421 to hear a prerecorded message offering crime prevention information for citizens. The message is changed monthly.

Garage Sale Signs

These are allowed but must be no larger than 24" x 30" and can be placed only on private property. Signs cannot be on city property, road medians, or on utility or street light poles.

3 a.m. to 5 a.m. Parking

Vehicles are not allowed to park on the street between 3 and 5 a.m. unless a permit is obtained. There are three types of permits:

1. For a three-day maximum permit, call the Public Safety Desk at 343-2400 to be put on the “permission” list.
2. For a 30-day permit, visit the Public Safety Department, bring the vehicle registration for the vehicle that will be parked on the street, and ask for a “temporary parking” permit. The permit must be displayed in the front windshield of the vehicle.
3. For a one-year permit, visit the Public Safety Department to fill out an application. There are certain eligibility requirements. Permits are renewable each November and December. For further information, call the Traffic Safety Officer at 343-2416.

Parking on Residential Streets

Parking on residential streets is allowed only on one side of the street; the other is a fire route. Drivers cannot park over sidewalks or block driveways. Please observe these important regulations.

Tornado Warning Sirens

Tornado warning sirens are tested the first Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. When the siren is heard during inclement weather, turn to the radio or television for emergency weather information. Please do not call the Public Safety desk since phone inquiries about the weather jam the lines which are needed for more important emergency police and fire calls.

Bicycle Licenses

Bicycle licenses are required and can be purchased at the Public Safety Department for $1.

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Pets and Animal Regulations

Licensing of Pets

All cats and dogs over 12 weeks of age are required to be licensed and vaccinated annually. Licenses can be purchased at the Public Safety Department for $5. You must bring proof of vaccination. Two pets are allowed per household. A fine may be imposed if your pet is found without tags.

Dogs Running at Large/Impounding

If a pet is found wandering in the community, with or without identification tags, the animal will be picked up and brought to the station where it will be held for approximately two hours. The Public Safety Department will attempt to contact the owner of the pet if that information is available. If the owner is not located, the animal will be transported to the Grosse Pointe Animal Clinic in Grosse Pointe Park where it will be impounded for three days or more.

Reclaiming the animal from the Grosse Pointe Animal Clinic is easy. After paying the boarding fees at the Public Safety Department, present the receipt to the Grosse Pointe Animal Clinic to verify payment and retrieve the animal. Costs incurred by the City for impounding the pet must be paid before it will be returned to the owner. In addition, there is a $75 fine assessed by the Municipal Court.

Leash Law

Anytime your dog leaves your yard, you are responsible for it. The dog must be on a leash. You also must keep the pet off other people’s property. A fine may be imposed for failure to observe responsible pet handling.

Vicious Dogs

No person shall own, harbor, or keep any dog commonly described as a pit bull terrier, or any other animal deemed to be vicious. “Vicious dog” is defined as any dog with a known propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury to, or threaten the safety of human beings or domestic animals; or, any dog which, without provocation, attacks or bites or has attacked or bitten a human being.

Barking, Howling Dogs

No person shall own, harbor, or keep any dog which, by loud or frequent habitual barking, yelping, or howling, causes serious annoyance in its neighborhood.

Nuisances Committed by Animals

Anytime your dog relieves itself upon public or private property (other than your own property), it must be cleaned up. The person responsible for custody of the dog shall be in possession of a trowel, shovel, or such device and a container for the purpose of removing any nuisance committed by the dog. Failure to observe this may result in a fine.