News Photo by Temi Fadayomi An squad car from the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office is pictured on Monday afternoon

ALPENA — Last week, the Alpena Sheriff’s Office began having 24-hour road patrols for the first time in more than 10 years.

In the past, 24-hour patrols have been difficult to achieve in Alpena due to staff shortages, which have limited deputy availability.

“It always bothered me,” Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith said about the limitation that his department faced in the past. “At times, it felt like we were forced part-time law enforcement.”

Now, however, the Sheriff’s Office has enough fully-trained deputies to be able to maintain 24-hour patrols.

Deputies schedule their patrol times in advance and rotate them as time goes on. Smith hopes that with this new milestone, the Sheriff’s Department will be able to better serve Alpena County residents moving forward.

“It’s a huge milestone for the department,” Smith said. “We look forward to being able to serve the community more effectively.”