GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A spike in shootings in the downtown area, between late May and mid-July, alarmed some of the businesses there. The Grand Rapids Chamber, which works with 2,000 businesses, said they heard all of the complaints firsthand from their clients.
However, the Grand Rapid Police Department said they heard them too, and they’re working to reduce the violence.
“[Businesses] have been very vocal about their concerns about safety downtown,” said GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom. “We share those concerns and we have had a lot of really good productive meetings. We have focused a lot of our enforcement downtown. We have, since I started, we have two additional police officers. But, I know we need more.”
Chief Winstrom spoke to FOX 17 after the Public Safety Committee meeting at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon. He said that currently there’s 21 recruits in the academy. They’ll be out on patrol in the coming months.
He added that what’s helped to curb the violence was informing businesses of their resources to help them get specific services.
“Our [Homeless Outreach Team] actually put together like a one-page flyer for behavior that’s outside, because a lot of the complaints were just nuisance behavior: people sleeping in my vestibule or whatever, and other sort of, kind of minor issues,” Chief Winstrom said. “This gives the business owners a direct way to either call the Homeless Outreach Team, or call different services that maybe is a more appropriate to call. Or a different agency of the city.”
Chief Winstrom said he hopes that’ll relieve call volume for the officers and allow them to focus their attention on crime.
“I’ve had requests, specific requests, from actual business owners downtown. People that own clubs and things, ‘hey you know it’s busy outside, park a marked squad car out there.’ And essentially what they’re asking for, is they’re asking for security,” he said. “My answer is always 'we’re not private security and we have an entire city to police.'”
He said the overall goal is to reduce crime throughout the city, and not just in the downtown area. He noted during the committee meeting that robberies were down 40 percent, but homicides were up from last year.
And, he added that police will continue to use the DICE program — The Data Informed Community Engagement program — using data and community engagement to reduce crime.
While increasing police staff is a priority, he said, safety throughout the city is key as well.
“It is a balance. We need officers downtown. We did see that there weren’t enough officers downtown and I still don’t think there are. So, I think you’re going to see more officers,” Chief Winstrom said. “But, I’m making sure the officers are spread evenly across the city to cover the calls is a priority.”
