GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom will return to Michigan on Friday before starting his new role as police chief in Pensacola, Florida, as early as March 2.
“I'm not running away from Grand Rapids. I am running to Pensacola,” Chief Eric Winstrom said.
Meanwhile, Grand Rapids leaders are working to identify an interim chief while beginning the process to hire a permanent replacement. The last time the city searched for a police chief, the process took roughly eight months.
“Pensacola is a city that's progressing. It's advancing. It's becoming that city that is beckoning people. Like I said about my kids, this is a place that we want to make our forever home, and we want everybody to feel that way. But it's doing it in a way that's very responsible, where it's looking to lift everyone up together,” Winstrom said at a press conference in Florida.
Timeline: Grand Rapids' Last Police Chief Search
August 2021: Former Chief Eric Payne announced his retirement after two years on the job.
September 2021: Grand Rapids started looking for a new chief by hiring Public Sector Search & Consulting at a cost of $32,000. The California-based firm presented 35 law enforcement professionals from across the country to the city.
October 2021: The city sought neighbors' input on their ideal candidate.
January 2022: The city announced three finalists, with public interviews scheduled for weeks later. None of the candidates was internal.
March 2022: Winstrom was sworn in as chief.
It's unclear whom the city plans to tap as its interim chief. The department does have two deputy chiefs, both of whom have spent more than two decades with GRPD.
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