Clawson Moves to Join Tactical Training Consortium

Clawson Police will be able to better train for situations such as a riot, an active shooter, and an act of terrorism as part of a new, interlocal agreement recommended by Chief Harry Anderson.

The Clawson City Council on Monday unanimously approved the recommended resolution to join the Oakland County Tactical Consortium (OAK-TAC), a federally-funded partnership of nearby police agencies established in 2009.

Anderson said that the recommendation is made with safety and solvency in mind. OAK-TAC provides consistent training for large-scale incidents which require a larger police presence than one can provide alone, while consolidating resources for use between departments, in hopes of getting every department in the county involved.

The OAK-TAC board of directors should soon vote on Clawson's inclusion, Anderson said.

"We've had a great working relationship with Troy Police for years and years, where they provide our for our dispatch. In police work, it's so important to have everyone involved working from the same page," he said. 

OAK-TAC receives federal grants to cover the costs of training, overtime, and equipment and requires no fee to participate.

As Clawson is one of many smaller-sized departments in Oakland County with 17 full-time officers, Anderson said, there have been incidents around town in which employing help from officers in another department has proven necessary.

"It seems like it more and more all of the time, that our budget is stretched thin and our personnel is down, but you try to provide the best service to the community," he said.