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Grand Rapids Police Struggling to fill positions.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids Police Department has a bit of problem. It has open positions it can’t fill quickly enough. GRPD has welcomed several new recruitment classes in the last few years, but there are indications the department will be playing catch up in hiring over the next few years. The subject same up during the city commissioners’ annual update Tuesday afternoon. One topic was police outcomes and whether efficiency and community relations changes have worked. Staffing was part of that discussion. Despite the most recent class of recruits, GRPD will still be down about a dozen officers. And with between 25 and 30 officers who were hired during a spree two decades ago preparing to retire, the force may be even further depleted. Tuesday, there was talk of adding more classes of recruits. But there a bigger problems with attracting people to the job. “The truth of the matter is law enforcement has become a much less desirable career,” Mari Beth Jelks, the managing director of Administrative Services in Grand Rapids, explained. “We used to have 1,200 people taking exams and we, like other jurisdictions, are now down to 200.” Right now, anyone hired by GRPD has to have already gone through the academy at their own expense. The city may look at ways at accepting candidates who aren’t yet certified and put them through the academy, a model used by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Anyone interested in applying to be a Grand Rapids police officer can visit the department’s website or call Officer Jason Gady at 616.456.4247. |
Current Issue
GRPD Chief David Rahinsky earlier this year asked the City Commission to approve the purchase of rifles for every car in the force. The request was part of the normal budgeting process. The Commission approved the line item but asked for it to be delayed so they could gather public input. Several people attended public hearings and communicated with the Commissioners. Several people in the community felt the rifles were too much and that GR Police Officers didn't need the rifles because they have shotguns in each car now. Several attempts have been made since to convince the Commissioners of the facts behind the request and the need to equip our officers with the tools that will keep them safe, the public safe and that will match the kind of weapons that anyone can purchase at the local gun store. We believe that our Commissioners will take this item up yet in December. If you would care to voice your support you can do so by contacting your Commissioner or by sending a letter to the Commission through the City Clerks office, 300 Monroe NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503. This is an informational item not approved by the GRPD or GRPOA.
March 24, 2017
We are proud to display all of the new recruits for GRPD.
We should all be excited about these young people who have chosen to become police officers and that the City Manager, Greg Sundstrom, is so focused on diversity in the Department.
We are proud to display all of the new recruits for GRPD.
We should all be excited about these young people who have chosen to become police officers and that the City Manager, Greg Sundstrom, is so focused on diversity in the Department.
March 4, 2017
Opinion
In Mayor Bliss's State of the City address last night she briefly outlined her accomplishments this past year. She highlighted Police and Community relations. According to MLive she touched on:
Progress on police and community relations The city has made progress in the police and community relations front, Bliss said.
Every GRPD officer wears a body camera, and the department is undergoing racial bias studies.
All of the officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department went through implicit bias training.
City management is about to undergo the same training. Efforts to hire more city residents into the GRPD and the city, known as the "grow your own" initiative, have been paying off, Bliss said. "Our workforce should reflect the community we are here to serve," Bliss said.
It would have been nice if she had included the work that the GRPOA is doing to create face to face relationships with the people they serve. That work is tedious given the present feelings in the community regarding police. But it is working. The GRPOA has the ability on a daily basis to interact with neighbors and can make a positive impression on kids who would never consider being police officers.
We, FOGRCops, appreciate the goals of the mayor and the work of the Administration to be responsive to the entire community. They should consider more ride alongs and get a more up to date view point of the policies they are implementing. It's the street cops who are always the front line. They see it all. They are the very best resource the city has regarding the actual relationships in our community. It's better than they think.
Opinion
In Mayor Bliss's State of the City address last night she briefly outlined her accomplishments this past year. She highlighted Police and Community relations. According to MLive she touched on:
Progress on police and community relations The city has made progress in the police and community relations front, Bliss said.
Every GRPD officer wears a body camera, and the department is undergoing racial bias studies.
All of the officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department went through implicit bias training.
City management is about to undergo the same training. Efforts to hire more city residents into the GRPD and the city, known as the "grow your own" initiative, have been paying off, Bliss said. "Our workforce should reflect the community we are here to serve," Bliss said.
It would have been nice if she had included the work that the GRPOA is doing to create face to face relationships with the people they serve. That work is tedious given the present feelings in the community regarding police. But it is working. The GRPOA has the ability on a daily basis to interact with neighbors and can make a positive impression on kids who would never consider being police officers.
We, FOGRCops, appreciate the goals of the mayor and the work of the Administration to be responsive to the entire community. They should consider more ride alongs and get a more up to date view point of the policies they are implementing. It's the street cops who are always the front line. They see it all. They are the very best resource the city has regarding the actual relationships in our community. It's better than they think.
From GRPOA President Andy Bingel
Joint News Release
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
From: Andy Bingel, President GRPOA
Mike Maycroft, President GRPCOA
No need for policy changes for GRPD
Grand Rapids, Michigan - In an unprecedented action the Presidents of the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association and the Grand Rapids Police Command Officers Association have issued a joint release in reaction to recent calls by certain community members to impose a “new policy” on police operations in response to a recent incident where five young black males were held at gun point for a short period of time. A detailed account accompanies this release.
Statement
We would be remiss in our obligations and responsibilities to stand by and up for our members if we didn’t take this opportunity to make our case before the public. We lead the two largest associations in the police department. We are charged with taking care of the people who take care of all of our citizens. In recent years all police operations have come under intense scrutiny after very unfortunate encounters between police and people of color in other parts of the country came to the attention of the public. After that several videos of what appeared to be police brutality were aired on social media. Those videos, which typically only capture the last few minutes of an incident between an individual or individuals and police, have been used to create a cop hating segment of the public. The result has been a constant barrage of complaints and demonstrations that question the professionalism, intent and integrity of our police command staff and our line officers. We say enough.
Our Chief and his staff have accepted the public’s request for more racial sensitivity and awareness training as well as other aspects of good community relations practices. Every officer in the department has been through bias training. We have found it not only eye opening but very helpful. There are a few more steps to be taken, including some studies to gather factual information about the nature and frequency of police encounters with our Black and Latino/Hispanic residents. We believe that complete and accurate data serves a vital purpose in our work and look forward to seeing the results of these studies. The GRPOA has made an effort to create open dialogue with the Black community. The work has been slow but progressing.
The overarching issues in all of this relate to racism, equality and equity. We say overarching because those issues go beyond the control of police. We are in the unenviable position of having to encounter people in the worst of situations, which gets attention from the public on various levels. In our daily work as patrol officers, neighborhood officers, detectives and command officers we see it all. We see the horrible affects of poverty and despair. We see the results of families breaking down and children being removed from homes to keep them safe. We are the ones who knock on doors at all hours of the day to tell a loved one their child, spouse or relative has been killed by an auto accident or violent confrontation in the streets. We cannot crawl into the hearts of minds of people. If we could, in an effort to make things equal and safe for everyone, we would make every effort to do so. In reality, that’s not our job.
The people of Grand Rapids have a police department to handle the serious issues of crime. We are bound by the rule of law and the rules and regulations set forth in our department. We are subject to changes by the City Commission regarding social policy, as we stated above. However, when we get a 911 call that says there is a group of people acting suspiciously and that there may be weapons involved we respond immediately, prepared to keep innocent citizens from being harmed. Our training kicks in and we follow the law and our experience to face down any possible situation. Sometimes that includes the take down of people, and tragically, it may include drawing and discharging our weapons. That is what police do, at our own risk, so that we can all live in a place that is relatively safe and secure. Its rough work. It has an enormous physical and emotional drain on everyone in the department. The one thing we will never do is ask our brothers and sisters to ever hesitate to save themselves. We signed up to accept the risk, but we all want to go home at night to see our loved ones.
Our department will continue to review our policies to ensure they are bench marked and in compliance with all legal standards. We as officers will find ways to expand our relationships in every part of Grand Rapids, especially areas where people feel disenfranchised and somehow targeted. We will obey the orders we are given. We will face our peril as professionals. What we would like is to be given fair treatment by the public. Our men and women of the Grand Rapids Police Department are honorable, dedicated and caring people. We have never, nor will we ever, fail in our duty to protect the public, given the information we are handed and the circumstances we find ourselves in.
We look forward to working with our community partners and our City Commission to keep Grand Rapids going strong.
# # #
Joint News Release
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
From: Andy Bingel, President GRPOA
Mike Maycroft, President GRPCOA
No need for policy changes for GRPD
Grand Rapids, Michigan - In an unprecedented action the Presidents of the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association and the Grand Rapids Police Command Officers Association have issued a joint release in reaction to recent calls by certain community members to impose a “new policy” on police operations in response to a recent incident where five young black males were held at gun point for a short period of time. A detailed account accompanies this release.
Statement
We would be remiss in our obligations and responsibilities to stand by and up for our members if we didn’t take this opportunity to make our case before the public. We lead the two largest associations in the police department. We are charged with taking care of the people who take care of all of our citizens. In recent years all police operations have come under intense scrutiny after very unfortunate encounters between police and people of color in other parts of the country came to the attention of the public. After that several videos of what appeared to be police brutality were aired on social media. Those videos, which typically only capture the last few minutes of an incident between an individual or individuals and police, have been used to create a cop hating segment of the public. The result has been a constant barrage of complaints and demonstrations that question the professionalism, intent and integrity of our police command staff and our line officers. We say enough.
Our Chief and his staff have accepted the public’s request for more racial sensitivity and awareness training as well as other aspects of good community relations practices. Every officer in the department has been through bias training. We have found it not only eye opening but very helpful. There are a few more steps to be taken, including some studies to gather factual information about the nature and frequency of police encounters with our Black and Latino/Hispanic residents. We believe that complete and accurate data serves a vital purpose in our work and look forward to seeing the results of these studies. The GRPOA has made an effort to create open dialogue with the Black community. The work has been slow but progressing.
The overarching issues in all of this relate to racism, equality and equity. We say overarching because those issues go beyond the control of police. We are in the unenviable position of having to encounter people in the worst of situations, which gets attention from the public on various levels. In our daily work as patrol officers, neighborhood officers, detectives and command officers we see it all. We see the horrible affects of poverty and despair. We see the results of families breaking down and children being removed from homes to keep them safe. We are the ones who knock on doors at all hours of the day to tell a loved one their child, spouse or relative has been killed by an auto accident or violent confrontation in the streets. We cannot crawl into the hearts of minds of people. If we could, in an effort to make things equal and safe for everyone, we would make every effort to do so. In reality, that’s not our job.
The people of Grand Rapids have a police department to handle the serious issues of crime. We are bound by the rule of law and the rules and regulations set forth in our department. We are subject to changes by the City Commission regarding social policy, as we stated above. However, when we get a 911 call that says there is a group of people acting suspiciously and that there may be weapons involved we respond immediately, prepared to keep innocent citizens from being harmed. Our training kicks in and we follow the law and our experience to face down any possible situation. Sometimes that includes the take down of people, and tragically, it may include drawing and discharging our weapons. That is what police do, at our own risk, so that we can all live in a place that is relatively safe and secure. Its rough work. It has an enormous physical and emotional drain on everyone in the department. The one thing we will never do is ask our brothers and sisters to ever hesitate to save themselves. We signed up to accept the risk, but we all want to go home at night to see our loved ones.
Our department will continue to review our policies to ensure they are bench marked and in compliance with all legal standards. We as officers will find ways to expand our relationships in every part of Grand Rapids, especially areas where people feel disenfranchised and somehow targeted. We will obey the orders we are given. We will face our peril as professionals. What we would like is to be given fair treatment by the public. Our men and women of the Grand Rapids Police Department are honorable, dedicated and caring people. We have never, nor will we ever, fail in our duty to protect the public, given the information we are handed and the circumstances we find ourselves in.
We look forward to working with our community partners and our City Commission to keep Grand Rapids going strong.
# # #