Grand Rapids Reporter

City of Grand Rapids issued the following announcement on June 12.

City Manager Mark Washington, Police Chief Eric Payne and Oversight and Public Accountability Director Brandon Davis today announced a series operational changes to improve policing in Grand Rapids. The changes are a continuation of ongoing policy improvements made by the City following conversations with community members and they come in the wake of nationwide and local calls for police reform. 

Washington has directed the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) and Office of Oversight and Public Accountability (OPA) to improve or implement the following within the next 60 days:

• Improve the use of force policy by explicitly banning chokeholds
• Improve GRPD policy requiring officers to de-escalate situations, where possible, by communicating with subjects, maintaining distance and otherwise eliminating the need to use force
• Require officers to give a verbal warning in all situations whenever possible before using deadly force
• Require officers to exhaust all other reasonable alternatives, including non-force and less-lethal force options, before resorting to deadly force
• Improve GRPD policy by requiring officers to intervene and stop excessive force use by other officers and report these incidents immediately to a supervisor
• Update the policy on banning officers from shooting at moving vehicles – GRPD previously banned this practice
• Make sure all uniformed officers have names on all uniforms while in public, including events involving civil unrest
• Ensure OPA reviews and releases a comprehensive report regarding the status of all prior community-police relations studies, recommendations and commitments. This report will be released within the next 30 days.
• Continue to make structural changes to GRPD to address recommendations made in the deployment study, 2017 traffic stop study and 21st Century Policing report
• Place more civilian employees in public information and senior administrative roles
• Identify funding to expand OPA
• Establish a community police advisory council to provide ongoing support and advice to the police chief on plans, strategies and policies
• Increase and enhance training offered by the Office of Equity and Engagement (OEE) and OPA related to equity, justice, implicit bias and other related topics for all City staff, including police 
• Work with the City’s Economic Development Department, Our Community's Children, OEE and OPA to work with the business community to increase summer job opportunities for youth 
• Collaborate with the community to support programming that provides information, awareness and resources to be an ally to address systemic and institutional racism
• Improve resident engagement by creating more opportunities to represent groups to promote safety and accountability and prevent crime
• OEE will host an event in partnership with OPA led by subject matter experts regarding processing and healing from trauma and vicarious trauma related to racism and use of force 
• Create pathways for ongoing input and support from the community for the plan, strategies and tactics of GRPD
• Continue to complete OPA’s strategic plan and implement additional strategies to increase restorative justice programming, elevating community voice and public safety engagement
• Ensure GRPD works with OPA, the City’s Human Resources Department, Grand Rapids Public Schools, colleges, community organizations and labor groups to increase efforts in recruiting more diverse candidates

“We know we have a lot of work to do to undo racism and inequalities across the country, and we know that a lot of that work has been done here in this community,” Washington said. “While we have been working with our partners in the community to improve policing, we know we have a lot more to accomplish. We will continue to listen to the community and we will work expediently to progress our work in this area and embrace change, even where it might make us uncomfortable.

“We are determined and committed to do this work and to bring forth progress. It is work that will require ongoing collaboration among our elected officials, our employees and community. We can –  and we will – get it done together.”

Payne said he was committed to accomplishing much of this in the next 60 days and expressed the need to look beyond the 60 days and continue to work on longer-term solutions.

“We must be diligent and continue to listen to the community and adopt best practices on a continuous basis,” Payne said. “It is my duty and obligation to make sure our department is doing these things. We will do our due diligence in working with the Office of Oversight and Public Accountability and the community to make sure we have the best policies, practices and training in our police department.”

Working alongside the community and GRPD, Davis said he recognized his responsibility for increased transparency and accountability.

“It is essential in making sure that we move forward,” Davis said. “I am encouraged by what the city manager has brought forth this afternoon and by the words of the chief, and I am committed to making sure that we accomplish all of this as a city. Our community is crying out, as is our nation. I am proud to be standing here as part of our commitment to making these changes.”

Washington also outlined suggestions from community members that require additional time and consideration. They are:

• Open public meetings for labor negotiations – The City and all of its labor unions are required to meet on mandatory subjects on bargaining and have done so outside of public meetings. Having open meetings cannot be done without the consent of both parties. Contracts are in place until June 30, 2022. The idea of open meetings for negotiations will be discussed with the labor groups in future labor conversations. This is not a decision that can be made unilaterally by management or the elected body.
• Expanded power for the Civilian Appeal Board – Washington has requested a legal opinion from the City’s Law Department on this matter.
• Settlement with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights on its ongoing investigation into the patterns and practices of GRPD – The city attorney continues to review this and will provide an update to the City Commission at a future date.
• Redirect funding from police toward economic development, housing and other community programs – By City Charter, 32 percent of general funding must be allocated to GRPD. The City Commission recently adopted the fiscal year 2021 budget, and more discussions are needed on the implications of any budget reallocations. However, some adjustments can be made to allocate additional funding to OPA.

“We recognize the need to embrace new ideas, methods and approaches that may have been uncomfortable in the past,” Washington said. “Since racial inequities have been historically part of our society, the City continues to make a conscious deliberate choice to prioritize equity and inclusion. I have been very deliberate in considering feedback from the mayor, commissioners, community and staff.  Today’s proposed changes and improvements are aligned with our vision for Grand Rapids to be nationally recognized as an equitable, welcoming, innovative and collaborative city with a robust economy, safe and healthy community and the opportunity for a high quality of life for all.”

Washington said it was important to note progress in some key areas had been made. This includes:

• Adopted a strategic plan with a strong equity lens for budgeting and operations
• Implemented equity training for leaders in every department with the National Equity Project
• Revised the GRPD youth interactions policy
• Created a foreign nationals policy to prioritize safety over status
• Hired civilian staff to redeploy sworn staff per the deployment study
• Adopted a new weapons ordinance
• Created the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design ordinance
• Created biased crime reporting protections
• Created the Office of Oversight and Public Accountability
• Created the Office of Equity and Engagement
• Hired a new police chief
• Created second-shift community police officers
• Updated the human rights ordinance
• Published all police policies online
• Implemented body-worn cameras

Original source can be found here.

Source: City of Grand Rapids