Public Safety
FOR EMERGENCIES, PHONE 911 NOW. Public Safety is the combination of police protection and fire protection. All Ionia Public Safety officers have received police training, fire training, and medical first responder training.
Meet the Public Safety Director
Troy Thomas has been with the Department for 32 years. He started as a part-time Officer in 1989 and became full-time in August of 1990. In June of 2000, he was promoted to Uniform Sergeant and then Deputy Director in March of 2010. He was named Interim Director in February of 2012, and permanent Director in July of 2012.
Accomplishments: During his tenure as Public Safety Director, he has created the Department’s first K-9 Unit, a partnership with Ionia Township for a part-time Police coverage, purchased a boat and training for swift water rescue on the Grand River, and the recent acquisition of an Explosive Detection Dog in a partnership with Flex-N-Gate Corporation.
Agency JurisdictionÂ
The agency's jurisdiction is limited to the corporate city limits for police matters, with the exception of covering Ionia Township for 20 hours per week. The jurisdiction for fire service expands to two surrounding townships (Easton and Ionia). The City of Ionia has provided fire service to the two townships through formal contracts since the 1940s.
Contact Information
Ionia Public Safety
239 E Adams Street
Ionia, Michigan 48846
EMERGENCIES: PHONE 911
Non-emergencies: phone (616) 527-0400
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday,
8 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 4 pm
Office Phone: (616) 527-4431
If you need assistance at any other time, there is a call box on the outside of our building. Emergencies, Phone 911. Dispatch Contact: (616) 527-0400. (Requests for police assistance, file a complaint of a criminal nature, or report a vehicle accident, etc.)
Fire ServicesÂ
Each officer carries his fire gear in his patrol unit and in the event there is a fire, the officer will then respond in the role of a firefighter.
On-Call Firefighters. In addition to our full-time Public Safety Officers, our agency also employs several paid on-call firefighters who are fire-trained only. These individuals serve a very important part of our organization.
Medical Services
All of our officers and firefighters are trained as medical first responders.
Criminal Background Check
The Ionia Department of Public Safety does not do criminal background checks, but they may be done through the Michigan State Police.
Records Requests and FOIA
Reports taken by the Ionia Department of Public Safety are available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). There are some exceptions that make reports not available.
To make a FOIA records request online, use our form Request for Examination or Copy of Public Records. After filling out the form, click on Submit and the form will send directly to the Public Safety Department. A copy of the form data will also be sent to the requestor by email.
There could be a fee involved with obtaining reports and this is dependent upon the number of reports requested or the amount of pages and photographs included with the report. Upon completion of the FOIA request, you will be notified if the report is available and if so, the fee amount. The reports will then be available to be picked up at the front desk of the department between 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is helpful if you know the specific date to assist in processing the request.
School Liaison Officer
Officer Chris Flanders serves as the department's School Liaison Officer. Officer Flanders, who is D.A.R.E. Instructor Certified, spends a portion of his day at the Ionia High School where he walks the hallways, patrols the parking lots, and handles any criminal activity involving students on campus. Officer Flanders provides presentations to students involving topics such as personal safety, bullying, and other legal issues. Officer Flanders also spends time at the middle and elementary schools within the city assisting in conflict resolution, eating lunch and joining the students on the playground. "Providing security to the school and building positive relationship with the students is my primary goal."
D.A.R.E.
Officer Chris Flanders teaches the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program in the Ionia Junior High School. Each year, approximately 250 sixth grade students receive the 10-week instructions on how to resist both drugs and violence, how to make good decisions, how to feel confident about their choices, as well as other important lessons.
Documents and Links
- Go to Link:
- Vacation Security Check Request
Burning Regulations - City of Ionia
The outdoor burning of trash, leaves, building materials, tires, etc. is prohibited in the City. However, recreational fires are permitted subject to the following regulations (a permit is not needed for a recreational fire):
- All fires must be contained within an area 4 feet or less in diameter and 3 feet or less in height in a fire pit, in an above ground commercially manufactured fire receptacle or in a masonry fireplace made for outdoor burning.
- No burning is allowed from 1 am to 6 am.
- Except for the use of receptacles or fireplaces described in (1), any burning shall occur at least 25 feet from an existing structure and property line and shall be at the rear of any property, away from any street and sidewalk. If the dimensions of the lot are such that they will not permit compliance, burning shall occur as close to the center of the property as practicable behind the dwelling, an equal distance from the property line and building.
- All burning shall be under the supervision of an adult who shall remain present at the fire.
- No burning shall occur when the wind exceeds ten (10) miles per hour or when conditions are likely to create a nuisance or endanger person or property.
- A fire which endangers or becomes offensive to other persons or harmful to their property is a nuisance and shall promptly be extinguished.
Burning Regulations - Easton and Ionia Townships
Burning Permits are given to residents in Ionia and Easton Townships for brush, grass, and leaves. No other burning is allowed. Permits may be denied if there is a statewide burning ban or if it is too windy. You are required to call on the day that you would like to burn. To obtain a burning permit please call 616-527- 4431 during regular business hours or after hours call 616-527- 0400.
Parking
Downtown District
Available parking in the Downtown District includes both street-side parking and several parking lots. Most street-side parking downtown is designated as two hour parking. However, there are a couple of exceptions. Downtown parking lots are designated as either 2 hour parking or 10 hour parking.
Each parking lot and each street-side parking area in the Downtown District contain street signs that list the parking hours in their respective area. Parking may be enforced in the Downtown District between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Residential District
Most areas in the Residential District allow for parking on at least one side of the street. Those areas where parking is prohibited are posted with street signs indicating so.
Odd / Even Parking
Odd / Even Parking is in effect from December 1 through March 31 between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The purpose of the ordinance is to allow for proper snow removal on both sides of the street in winter months. This ordinance states that city residents and visitors shall park on the odd numbered side of the street on the odd numbered days of the month and on the even numbered side of the street on the even numbered days of the month.
Public Safety Department Tours
Upon request, the department gives tours of its facility to organizations such as Head Start, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other local groups including day care centers. The tours often include a close look at the police cruisers and fire trucks as well as information regarding personal safety and fire safety.
Warning Sirens
The City of Ionia has four early warning sirens. The sirens have been strategically placed in an attempt to assure that everyone in the community will be able to hear them. The sirens are tested at 12 Noon, on the first Saturday of each month beginning April through September.
Responding. Should you hear the sirens during any other time, this may signal adverse weather and you should seek shelter immediately. After you have done so, please monitor either your radio or television for updates. We do not sound an all clear signal after a weather event.
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Post Office Box 496
Ionia, Michigan 48846
Phone 616-527-4170
Fax 616-527-0810
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday, 8:00a - 4:00p
(Holiday exception)
EMERGENCIES: PHONE 911
For local news and information,
tune to WION AM 1430/FM 92.7
or read the Ionia Sentinel-Standard