Tyler Vines has been on the Livonia Police Department for nearly 14 years. He's been in patrol the whole time. Two months ago, he became president of the Livonia Police Officers Association.

He walked into that role and straight into a crisis.

Twenty-nine officers left the department in 2025. They hired five. The station they work out of is a patchwork of two buildings from the 1960s bolted together with a section added 40 years later. HVAC systems that require a call to DPW to adjust. Boilers breaking down with no parts available. A urinal pipe that leaked into the wall for weeks before anyone found it. The city is spending up to $400,000 a year just to keep the place standing.

And in August, residents will vote on a millage renewal that funds officer wages, benefits, training, and equipment for the entire public safety department, police and fire alike.

We covered:
- What the millage actually funds and why the police station construction is a separate issue
- How understaffing creates a feedback loop that drives more officers out
- Why renovation isn't feasible and what a new building would actually require
- What the union's priorities are heading into contract negotiations

Livonia has a reputation for being one of the best departments in the state. The people there are good at their job. They show up. The question is whether the city is going to give them the tools to keep doing it.

Tyler, thank you for coming in to record. This is exactly the kind of conversation Livonia residents need to hear before August.

*Chapters*
0:00 - Welcome to Unlocking the Law
1:22 - Tyler Vines Introduction and Career Background
2:07 - The Grappling Hook Device: Livonia's New Pursuit Tech
4:19 - Police Chases, Liability, and Why Departments Are Pulling Back
6:09 - The Union's Priorities: Millage, Contract, and the New Station
7:08 - What the Millage Actually Funds (And Why Fire Is in the Conversation)
10:58 - Inside the Failing Building: What Officers Are Actually Working In
14:05 - Why Renovation Isn't Feasible
16:21 - Operating Under Construction: What It Actually Looks Like
18:44 - The Staffing Crisis: 77 Officers for a Department Budgeted for 107
22:20 - What Understaffing Actually Does to the Officers Who Stay
24:23 - Why Livonia Still Has a Reputation as One of the Best Departments

Watch the Livonia PD Grappler Deployment here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMFXpTfy3zc

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This episode is brought to you by Fausone & Grysko, PLC
https://www.thefgfirm.law/