Public Safety

About the department

The Plainwell Department of Public Safety is on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide prompt police and fire emergency response and to maintain a safe and secure community. This is accomplished through actively patrolling streets, responding to calls for assistance and direct interaction with schools on a daily basis, with other organizations and with individual citizens when requested. More than 3,000 calls are received each year through Plainwell Public Safety and Allegan Central Dispatch.

In December of 2012, the Public Safety Department moved into its newly renovated facility, combining both police and fire operations into one building. With this consolidation, we greatly increase our efficiency; staff and equipment are all in the same location. This 14,100 sq. ft. structure once served as the Plainwell Paper Mill waste water facility. By renovating this building instead of funding new construction, the City was able to save a significant amount of money.

All department members are cross-trained as police officers, firefighters and medical first responders to provide professional and courteous public safety services to our community.

Online requests

• Extra patrol request
• Traffic enforcement request
• Vacation house check request
• Commend a public safety officer or firefighter

Forms, reports and links

• Citizen Complaint Outline and Reporting FormPDF
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) FormPDF
• Public notice: Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public CommentPDF
• LexisNexis accident reportsOutside site
• OK2SAY: report incidents at schoolsOutside site
• Allegan Silent ObserverOutside site

To confirm with the City: is the Accreditation press release (public comment invitation) still current, or can it come down?

Public Safety officers

• Director Kevin Callahan, kcallahan@plainwell.org
• Deputy Director John Varley, jvarley@plainwell.org
• PSO Jim Pell, jpell@plainwell.org
• PSO Jeff Welcher, jwelcher@plainwell.org
• PSO Mike Bruce, mbruce@plainwell.org
• PSO Joe Culver, jculver@plainwell.org
• PSO Brady Roberts, broberts@plainwell.org
• PSO Don McGehee, dmcgehee@plainwell.org

Paid on-call firefighters

• David Rantz
• David Kuitert
• Nathan Nash
• Ronald Farr
• Michael Pallett
• Spencer Brignall
• Devin Thomas
• Bud Smith
• Anthony Banas
• Brandon Cook
• Steven Longcore
• Steven Emig