GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Payne has been appointed to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made the announcement Friday.
Payne’s term begins Friday and lasts until Dec. 31, 2021.
He takes over for Donald Mawer, who resigned from the commission.
The commission sets standards for licensing and funding police in Michigan.
“By bringing more diverse voices together, we can enact important changes to police procedures and build a more equitable state,” Whitmer said. “Having community leaders and the director of the Department of Civil Rights on this commission will help us ensure we’re enacting reforms to ensure everyone, no matter who they are, is treated fairly under the law. I look forward to working with this group and with everyone else who wants to build a more just equitable Michigan.”
Payne, who became chief last year, has been working on a three-year strategic plan to improve GRPD’s community relations amid national calls for police reform.
