GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom is in his final week leading the department, and he sat down for a one-on-one interview to reflect on more than four years as the city's top law enforcement officer.
The interview took place one day after the most recent officer-involved shooting in Grand Rapids. The department said questions about that investigation could not be asked, as it remains ongoing.
Winstrom was sworn in four years ago and leaves behind a department he says looks nothing like the one he inherited.
"It's been a whirlwind. Some moments I feel like I've been here 40 years, and some moments I feel like it's yesterday," Winstrom said.
Nearly a month into his tenure, Winstrom faced one of the most scrutinized moments in the department's recent history — the officer-involved shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
Officer Christopher Schurr was charged with second-degree murder in the case. After a mistrial, the county prosecutor decided not to retry Schurr.
"We had a very high-profile, very controversial shooting, which really tore the city apart. And there were a lot of people who made policing very political," Winstrom said.
With less than a month left in his tenure, GRPD was put back in the spotlight again following another officer-involved shooting.
Despite the high-profile incidents, Winstrom pointed to significant changes within the department during the years in between.
"What a change from three years ago, from four years ago, all the changes in policies and procedures and culture and training, in crime stats and recruiting and retention, like we are, night and day, a different police department," Winstrom said.
According to the Grand Rapids Police Department, crime statistics show notable progress in several categories.
Auto thefts (according to GRPD):
- 2023: 105
- 2024: 65
- 2025: 17
- 2026: 29
Shootings (according to GRPD):
- 2023: 58 non-fatal, 17 fatal
- 2024: 56 non-fatal, 9 fatal
- 2025: 42 non-fatal, 11 fatal
- 2026: 3 non-fatal, 3 fatal
Robberies (according to GRPD):
- 2023: 13
- 2024: 12
- 2025: 14
- 2026: 13
"We've made some great progress, great progress in the city. This is a very special place, and I'm going to miss a lot of people, and I'm going to miss the city," Winstrom said.
Among the highlights Winstrom cited from his time leading Michigan's second-largest city police force was turning around the department's staffing challenges.
"We're to the point where all our vacancies are filled. We just recently got a budget amendment to increase the staffing size of the police department," Winstrom said.
Winstrom also spoke about unfinished business — including finding the person responsible for the death of Santino Ysasi.
"I met him more than once, and he was very kind and thoughtful and a very likable guy to me, so it was a big shock," Winstrom said.
Winstrom drew national attention after citing politics as a factor in his decision to leave. He said navigating that landscape became exhausting.
"So much of the job has been navigating the political landscape of people pushing back reflexively on policing, just because we're the police, creating impediments to the progress that we're putting in," Winstrom said.
Winstrom is leaving to take a new chief position in Florida. Deputy Chief Joe Trigg will take over as interim chief beginning in March. The city plans to conduct a national search for its next chief, though it is not yet clear when that search will begin.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
