MORENCI — A fourth full-time position has been approved for the Morenci Police Department. At their Aug. 11 meeting, council members agreed to move one of the city’s part-time officers, Nathan Adams, to full-time status.
Police Chief Michael Cresswell said the department has had trouble recruiting qualified part-time officers. Many of the applications the department receives are from officers who have previously been terminated or forced to resign from other departments due to performance or conduct issues, he said.
The difficulty of finding qualified applicants for part-time positions has made it harder for the police department to maintain consistent shift coverage, Cresswell said in a memo to the city council’s public safety committee.
In recommending Adams for a full-time position, Cresswell said that Adams has been a part-time Morenci police officer for about three years. He retired from the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office as a sergeant, and previously served for 10 years in the Ypsilanti Police Department as both a patrol officer and a detective. He currently works in the county court system but expressed an interest in returning to full-time policing, Cresswell said.
“He has built strong working relationships with fellow officers and is well-regarded by the citizens of Morenci,” Cresswell stated. “His professionalism and dedication have contributed positively to the department’s reputation.”
Cresswell said that moving Adams to full-time will get the department significantly closer to its goal of maintaining 24/7 coverage.
The move brings the department to four full-time employees — Cresswell plus three officers — in addition to part-time officers.
Cresswell himself is planning to retire at the end of the year, although he has expressed a willingness to remain as part-time deputy chief to ensure a smooth transition. At the July 29 meeting of the city council’s public safety committee, Cresswell, city clerk and superintendent Jeff Bell, and the members of the committee agreed that the position should be posted internally to see if any current officers are interested in applying.