Benton Harbor Police & Fire Departments Merge

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Theres been talk about it happening in some Michigan cities -- now union agreements have been reached to merge the Benton Harbor police and fire departments.

The new department of public safety will have officers trained in both fighting crime and fires. Emergency financial manager Joseph Harris had been working to implement the model for some time, but it regularly came up against opposition.

Harris and Public Safety Director Roger Lange made the announcement on Friday.