KENTWOOD, Mich.—As the busiest shopping day of the year approaches, police are offering 10 ways to protect yourself and your vehicle from thieves.

Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (H.E.A.T.) works with Michigan law enforcement agencies to track down suspected car thieves and those suspected of auto theft-related insurance fraud.    Shoppers are encouraged to follow these tips:

KENT COUNTY, Mich.—The sheriff department is warning residents about a scam that’s made its way into Kent County.

On June 16, a resident contacted the sheriff department to report a suspicious phone call.  The suspect masked their phone number so it appeared the phone call was coming from the Kent County Sheriff Department.  The predator told the victim the Kent County Sheriff Department had a warrant out for their arrest and they needed to pay hundreds of dollars to take care of the warrant.  The scammer also used an actual sheriff department employee’s name.  Fortunately, the victim thought the call was suspicious and contacted deputies.

LANSING, Mich. – Two Kent County courts will be getting additional judges.

This week Governor Snyder signed five bills to redistribute judges based on caseloads.  The bills removes  four judge positions from the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, one judgeship from the 36th District Court in Detroit and one judgeship from the 70th District Court in Saginaw.   The affected judges will serve out their current turns, but will not be replace.

The bills then add two judgeships to the 16th Circuit Court in Macomb County, one to the 6th Circuit Court in Oakland County one to the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County, one to the 7th District Court in Van Buren County, and one to the 63rd District Court in Kent County, subject to a local vote.