Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel Wants Residents To Call 911 To Report Dangerous Potholes

MACOMB (WWJ) - Executive Mark Hackel is once again asking residents in Macomb County to help fix some of the county's worst pothole-laden roads.

Hackel is urging motorists to report damage-causing potholes by calling 911. Once reported, Hackel said the potholes will be assessed and addressed by the Macomb County Department of Roads within one hour.

Hackel is expected to draw attention to the issue Tuesday afternoon during a press conference along 14 Mile Road in Sterling Heights.

Last year, Hackel drew the ire of Michigan State Police after asking residents to report potholes to 911.

It's an issue that appears to pit law enforcement agencies against each other.

"Law Enforcement is not able to fix potholes or report them to the proper road commissions," Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said in a statement. Instead, Shaw suggested that motorists contact MDOT for potholes on state freeways or their local road commissions for county roads.

In response, Hackel said he doesn't need the state police telling him how to manage public safety in Macomb County.

"Any law enforcement agency that doesn't want to know that kind of information right away, I have to question," he said last January. "But here in Macomb County, we do want to know and we will address it and make sure that pothole is filled within an hour."

Local real estate agent James Eaton Tyler says Hackel's request for pothole 911 calls demonstrates the inequality of services in the suburbs and the city. In Detroit, stories are regularly highlighted where people wait hours for 911 response when they're in the midst of true emergencies.

At the same time, Hackle said he does not support Prop 1, which would raise the sales tax by one percent to fund road repairs, because he doesn't feel it would do enough to fix local roads.

Emergency calls to 911 are governed by telecommunications laws that make it illegal to misuse the system by falsely claiming an emergency, using the phone to threaten someone, or to solicit over the phone after 9 p.m. Michigan statute 750.540e sets a penalty of up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for misusing telecommunications devices.

For instance, a northern Michigan woman, 66, was arrested for misuse of the 911 system earlier this year when she called 911 asking for medical assistance, then called and canceled the request. She allegedly told police she was "playing games" and dared them to find her. They did.