GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Grand Rapids Police Chief David Rahinsky spoke out Wednesday about recent shootings and two homicides in recent days.
The chief says that in the cases of the two homicides and several recent shootings, the victims and perpetrators knew each other and they were not random acts of violence. He said that residents should still feel safe in the city.
However, Rahinsky also said that the recent violence is unacceptable. "It is our goal to make every street and neighborhood in this city as safe as every other."
Two Grand Rapids police officers starting next week will be deployed on Segways to patrol neighborhoods. It is hoped that this will help give more visibility to police on the streets.
Statistically speaking, the chief says the city is on pace for an average year in terms of homicides, but doesn't like to talk about "average homicide numbers" because "every instance is a tragedy to the family involved."
