February 5, 2021
I’ve actually had fun driving in the snow the past couple of days! I grew up in Grand Haven and am actually nostalgic about driving around in snowstorms. That probably won’t last too long…
This Digest message has more interesting content. We are attempting to include vaccine updates in each edition. You will see that we are getting slightly more vaccine but still not nearly enough to meet demand. This is frustrating when you consider that vaccine is being manufactured about an hour from here. With more vaccine approved by the FDA, it is a matter of time before more is released to the State and then to the counties. The Ottawa County Department of Public Health is working hard to identify other locations and eventually partners throughout the County to make distribution as convenient as possible for our residents. I am heartened by the large number of compliments that have been sent to me regarding the current vaccine site at the GVSU campus in Holland. The Public Health Department is receiving Kudos from many for the streamlined process and customer service attitude of staff and volunteers.
Speaking of health- The County has been working with Robertson Brain Health since January of 2017 on a cutting edge program intended to identify chemical imbalances in employees brains and provide education on diet, exercise and supplements to maintain brain chemistry within certain parameters. Follow this link to read more in the Second Wave Media Lakeshore Edition.
-Al
 To date, Ottawa County has received 27,600 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) has received 12,150 of those doses (8,250 allotted for first dose and 3,900 for second). Hospitals located within Ottawa county have received the remaining 15,450 doses.
Behind the Scenes of the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic:
Jennifer Sorek, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Toni Bulthuis, Immunization Supervisor
Vaccination Clinic Experiences:
Natividad comparte su experiencia y por qué se vacunó
Marjorie shares her experience and why she got vaccinated
View Kristina Wieghmink, Public Information Officer's full broadcast recording here.
-by Lee Fisher
Effective January 1, 2021, the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office experienced several significant changes. Lee F. Fisher is now the County Prosecutor following his election in November after running unopposed for the position. Lee has been with the Prosecutor’s Office for 30 years having held positions as an Assistant, Senior Assistant, and Chief Assistant Prosecutor. He replaces Ronald J. Frantz who retired effective December 31, 2020 after serving for 43 years in the Prosecutors Office, the last 30 as the elected Prosecutor.
Lee resides in Ottawa County with his wife Deb. They have been married for 37 years and have three married daughters and four grandchildren.
Deb and Lee in Country Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Fisher has appointed Sarah F. Matwiejczyk as his Chief Assistant Prosecutor. Sarah has served for the past 19 years in the Prosecutor’s Office as an Assistant Prosecutor and Senior Assistant. Sarah has the distinction of being the first woman in the history of Ottawa County to hold the Position of Chief Assistant Prosecutor. Sarah possesses exceptional trial, training and management skills. During her tenure in the Prosecutor’s Office Sarah has successfully prosecuted all types of cases including misdemeanors, felonies, child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, and major cases including homicides. Sarah has been responsible for the ongoing training the attorney staff of the Prosecutor’s Office. She also provides periodic trainings and legal updates to all law enforcement agencies in Ottawa County. Sarah is also an integral part of the Prosecutor’s Office Management Team, providing meaningful input and leadership related to the operations of the office.
Sarah lives with her husband Eric and their four children in Ottawa County.
Sarah's family: Eric, Sarah, Mary, Sophia, Elisa and Matthew (not in order of appearance)
There have been several new members added to the Prosecutor’s Office team to replace those who have recently retired or moved on to new career opportunities. Fisher has appointed John Donaldson, Clinton Rosekopf, and Britta Girmscheid as Assistant Prosecutors. All three of them are veteran Assistant Prosecutors who come to Ottawa County from other county prosecutor’s offices, each with varying levels of experience. They are replacing those who have retired recently or moved on to pursue other career opportunities, such as former Assistant Prosecutor Juanita Bocanegra, elected as our newest District Court Judge this year.
The Prosecutor’s Office also has several new team members in various support staff positions, including Legal Assistants and a Crime Victim’s Rights Assistant. They join a committed group led by our two Office Administrators, Elizabeth Kuechenmeister in Grand Haven, and Amy Chidester in Holland.
Another new addition to the office is “Q” a specially trained comfort dog who specializes in providing support to victims of crime both in and out of the courtroom. Most of Q’s work will be with child victims of physical and sexual abuse to help reduce the trauma they experience as their cases move through the criminal justice process. Q currently resides in Grand Rapids with his new parents, Assistant Prosecutor Jake Jenison and his fiancé, Nikki.
D&I Guidebook
 Ottawa County DEI Office joined 15 other DEI Thought Leaders & Practioners from West Michigan to publish a resource called, Five Essential Leadership Competencies of an Effective D&I Practioner Guidebook.
With the increase of DEI efforts and new D&I positions being established in the industry, there is minimum guidance and lack of formal training on how to successful fulfil or support this role.
To address this need, Talent 2025, TalNet and IncludeAll collaborated to bring this publication out as a free resource, outlining what a D&I officer needs to know and do.
To download a free copy visit HERE.
by Sheriff Steve Kempker
We are pleased to announce that the Sheriff’s Office has recently received certification from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). To obtain this, the Sheriff’s Office must meet certain eligibility requirements set by the DOJ. This certification will allow us to apply for federal grants but also puts us in line with the Presidential Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities. The list below identifies the requirements that the Sheriff’s Office had to meet to obtain the DOJ certification.
- The law enforcement agency’s use-of-force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
- The agency’s use-of-force policies prohibit the use of chokehold–a physical maneuver that restricts an individual’s ability to breathe for the purposes of incapacitation–except in those situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law. Also, the following topics listed had to be in compliance with the DOJ.
- Adherence to Constitutional Standards
- Termination of Use of Force
- Duty to Intervene
- Training Protocols on Use of force and De-escalation
- Appropriate Medical Care
- Warn Before Shooting
- Shooting at or from a Moving Vehicle
- Warning Shots
- No-Knock Warrant Entries
- Early Intervention
- Hiring of Personnel
- Community Engagement
We are happy to announce that all of these items were in place prior to the requirements being posted. Just over a year ago the Sheriff's Office started a complete overhaul of the policies and procedures for the Jail and Road Patrol operations, using a firm called Lexipol. Utilizing Lexipol benefits our agency by bringing us to a place with new and up-to-date policies and procedures that meet Federal law, State law and best practices as well as customized policies and procedures for the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office recently began the complex process of obtaining accreditation.
Accreditation is a progressive and time-proven way of helping law enforcement agencies calculate and improve their overall performances. The foundation of Accreditation lies in the voluntary adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. Participating agencies conduct a thorough self-analysis to determine which of their existing operations already meet some of the standards and/or how their procedures can be adapted to meet the objective requirements.
Obtaining accreditation status represents a significant professional achievement. Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of written directives, policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally impactful.
Effective and comprehensive leadership, through professionally based written directive and policy development, is directly influenced by a law enforcement program that is comprehensive, obtainable and based on standards that reflect the delivery of professional police service.
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