After a recent shooting at a Benton Township park, local officials are taking action.
The Benton Township Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the hire of Lange Investigation and Consulting Service to patrol River Park five days a week from June through August. The firm will operate Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 8 p.m.
Over Memorial Day weekend, three people were hospitalized after a shooting at the park, located at 451 Zollar Drive in Benton Harbor. Police said a 20-year-old Coloma man, a 22-year-old from South Bend and a 19-year-old from Dowagiac were those hospitalized in the shooting.
“None of those people are from Benton Township … yet somebody was in it and almost lost their life,” said Benton Township Police Chief Greg Abrams. “We saw a need – since our department is short on manpower – to have a security agency to at least monitor the parks and contact the police when things are observed.”
Lange ICSS is owned by former Benton Harbor public safety director Roger Lange.
“I’ve known Lange since my beginning years of being a police officer,” Abrams said. “I’ve known him since high school, worked for his security company … and I just thought Roger LAnge would be a perfect person to take care of out security issues at the park, just to make sure we have no more issues there ever again.”
Lange ICSS is located in Benton Harbor, and also provides security at Benton Manor, Baric Village, Berrien County parks and Rocky Gap Park. They will provide daily reports to the township on park activity. The township will pay $35 an hour for the security, with holiday rates of $52.50 an hour.
