PENTWATER, Mich. (WZZM) - Small town police chiefs are asking state law makers to provide a solution to an issue they say will be too difficult to achieve.

The Village of Pentwater swells in the summer with visitors enjoying the sand, surf, and shops that this beach town has to offer. That means Police Chief Mike Schuitema needs part-time officers to keep up.

"We offer protection and I need those officers to do that," said Chief Schuitema. (We have) "three full-time officers, couting myself, and six part-time officers."

Under a new state requirment, those officers would need 520 hours of work each year to maintain state endorsment. Schuitema says, "I cannot give them the hours."

The Commission on Law Enforcment set the 520-hour requirment. It would be used starting in 2012. The chair of the commission, John Buczek, says the agency is not trying to put part-time officers out of work. They're just trying to ensure police officers remain proficient in performing their jobs.

State Rep. Goeff Hansen says all the jurisdictions in his district use part-time help. He supports a much lower yearly requirment and leaving the decision on officers qualifications in the hands of police chiefs.

"For our smaller departments it could just devastate them," says Hansen. "Let our police chiefs run their departments. Let's not handcuff our police any more than we have too."

The state senate recently passed language that would make the requirment 120 hours. It's now up to house. If lawmakers pass their legislation making the requirement 120 hours, the 520 hour requirement would go into effect in 2012. Jon Mills

Jon Mills