[5. Resolution modifying governance of the Grand Rapids Land Bank Authority Board, rescinding appointment of the Grand Rapids Brownfields Authority Board as the Board of the Grand Rapids Land Bank Authority]

FIVE. RESOLUTION. MODIFYING GOVERNANCE OF THE GRAND RAPIDS LAND BANK AUTHORITY BOARD.

RESCINDING APPOINTMENT OF THE BROWNFIELD AUTHORITY BOARD AS THE GOVERNING. AS THE BOARD OF THE GRAND BANK. GRAND RAPIDS LAND BANK AUTHORITY. TAKE A MOTION. SO MOVED. SUPPORT. ANY DISCUSSION? OH, SORRY. WE HAVE STAFF. I'M GOOD IF THERE'S NO QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE. IF YOU RECALL, BACK IN JUNE, WE RECEIVED DIRECTION FROM THE COMMISSION TO MAKE THIS GOVERNANCE CHANGE. AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME, YOU APPROVED A MODIFICATION TO THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE THAT TRANSFERRED THE PROPERTY CONTROL FROM THE STATE TO THE LOCAL LAND BANK. WE HAD TO CHANGE, GET THE STATE TO AGREE TO A CHANGE IN THE GOVERNANCE PROVISIONS OF THAT DOCUMENT THAT'S BEEN SIGNED NOW.

AND SO IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY IS, IT SEEMS LIKE PROBABLY OVERLY FORMAL, BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE GRANT, THE GRAND RAPIDS BROWNFIELD AUTHORITY BOARD WAS ORIGINALLY INSTITUTED AS THE GOVERNING BOARD FOR THE LAND BANK, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE FORMALITY OF RESCINDING THAT APPOINTMENT THIS MORNING'S OR FURTHER ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY IS ACTION ON APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW. SOME OF THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS AS WELL. SO THAT SO WITH THAT, IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS, THAT'S SORT OF THE ACTION IN FRONT OF YOU. IF YOU RECALL FROM THE BUDGET CONVERSATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET, WE ARE SUPPORTING THE WORK OF THE LOCAL LAND BANK THROUGH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF. SO THAT'S STAFF SUPPORT. AND THERE ARE SOME CONTRACTS THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION THAT ARE COVERED IN THAT BUDGET AS WELL FOR PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THOSE PROPERTIES. THANK YOU. ANY DISCUSSION? YEAH, I JUST WANT TO THROW OUT THERE THAT I AGREE WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THERE, BUT I THINK IT STILL NEEDS TO BE ANOTHER. MINORITY FEMALE THAT IS ADDED TO THAT LIST. AND SO AS IT STANDS, I WILL NOT VOTE ON OR VOTE NO ON IT. I'M OKAY WITH THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THERE RIGHT NOW THAT HAVE BEEN APPOINTED, BUT I STILL THINK AND I DO REMEMBER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OR LAST YEAR, EVEN TALKING WITH YOU, THAT I ASKED BECAUSE OF MY LIVED EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE OF HOW I'VE WORKED IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE URBAN LEAGUE AND DOING THIS WORK THAT I WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT COMMITTEE. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE RECORD. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT. I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE THEN. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? I THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES. THIS BRINGS US

[1. Discussion of City Commission Policy 100-06]

TO DISCUSSION OF CITY COMMISSION POLICY. 100-06. AND WHEN IT'S AT HOME AND OPERATING WITH AN ACTUAL NAME, THAT IS OUR ETHICS POLICY, I BELIEVE. AND DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY IS HERE TO DISCUSS THIS. I DON'T KNOW IF OUR CITY ATTORNEY WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING OR FRAME THIS, BUT OTHERWISE YOU CAN TAKE IT AWAY. MR. STRONG. OKAY. THANK YOU. THE NAME OF THE POLICY IS THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND ETHICAL STANDARDS OF CONDUCT, POLICY FOR ELECTED AND

[00:05:02]

APPOINTED OFFICIALS. SO WE DIDN'T PUT ALL THAT ON THE AGENDA, BUT THAT'S THE SUBJECT OF 100 DASH ZERO SIX. WE DO TRY TO DO AS MUCH TRAINING WHEN YOU'RE NEW ON THE CITY COMMISSION AS POSSIBLE, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GETTING A LOT ALL AT ONCE. AND SO THIS IS A GOOD CHANCE TO CHECK IN AND DO A REMINDER. WE'VE BEEN ASKED, I THINK BECAUSE WE ARE INVOLVED IN THIS POLICY AS THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. PARAGRAPH NUMBER SIX, DUTIES OF THE CITY ATTORNEY. YOU, AS COMMISSIONERS, CAN REQUEST AN OPINION FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY. BUT ULTIMATELY, WHAT WE WANT TO DO TODAY IS ENCOURAGE A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE SHOULD BE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION AROUND THIS POLICY. THIS HAS BEEN A CONVERSATION THAT HAS BEEN OUT IN THE PUBLIC. MAYOR LEGRAND, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES, AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS CURRENTLY ON OUR BOOKS IN TERMS OF POLICY, WHAT IS THE STATE LAW, AND THEN YOU CAN TELL US AS STAFF. SHOULD WE GO BACK AND CHANGE ANYTHING? AND WHAT AREAS OF INTEREST SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT? SO TO HELP GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE BACKDROP, THERE'S A LOT OF MATERIALS OUT THERE. MICHIGAN MUNICIPAL LEAGUE HAS A 70 PAGE.

I GUESS TREATISE, IF YOU WILL, ON ETHICS. THE ETHICS HANDBOOK FOR MICHIGAN MUNICIPALITIES. WE HAVE THIS PAPER, COPY AND VIRTUAL THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU. AND ACROSS MUNICIPALITIES THERE'S NOT REALLY A TRUE ONE AND ONLY BEST PRACTICE. WHAT WE SEE IS A LOT OF THINGS DONE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. THERE ARE STATE LAWS THAT CONTROL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN CONTRACTING AND ALSO ETHICS AND DISCLOSURES FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS. AND THOSE LAWS HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE THE 60S. AS A STATE AND AS A NATION, WE STARTED TO ENACT MORE FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS AROUND TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING FOIA, INCLUDING THIS ETHICS LAW BACK IN THE 60S. AND THERE'S A I HAD I HAD FUN GOING ON A DEEP HISTORICAL DIVE INTO THAT HISTORY, BUT I'LL SPARE YOU ALL THE PAINFUL DETAILS ABOUT IT. OUR 100 DASH OH SIX CAME INTO PLAY IN 2016, AND WE AS A CITY, HAVE HISTORICALLY DECIDED TO HAVE A CITY COMMISSION POLICY THAT DICTATES HOW WE AS A MUNICIPALITY WILL GOVERN THESE SITUATIONS. YOU SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED THAT IT'S PRETTY CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE LAW. SO WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TOO MUCH MORE PROACTIVE, AND WE HAVEN'T TRIED TO SECOND GUESS THE STATE LAW. WE'VE KIND OF EMBEDDED THE STATE LAW WITHIN OUR INTERNAL CITY COMMISSION POLICY. SOME MUNICIPALITIES AND THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS NOT MAKING THIS RECOMMENDATION, BUT SOME MUNICIPALITIES HAVE A AN ORDINANCE THAT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE FORMAL AND A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO CHANGE ON, ON THESE SORTS OF THINGS. BUT THE CITY COMMISSION POLICY HAS FUNCTIONED QUITE WELL FOR US AS A CITY SINCE 2016. AND IN FACT, OUR CITY ATTORNEY AND CITY MANAGER HELPED IN 2023 USE 100 OH SIX AS KIND OF A TEMPLATE TO APPLY A NEW ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY THAT APPLIES TO ALL CITY EMPLOYEES. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THE STATE LAW SAYS ANYWAYS. BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THAT FORMALIZED. AND OUR CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY HELPED US BRING THAT INTO FRUITION IN 2023. SO CURRENTLY, AS IT RELATES TO FISCAL DISCLOSURES, ATTACHMENT A TO 100 OH SIX IS A PRETTY SIMPLE FORM THAT ALLOWS AND REQUIRES COMMISSIONERS TO DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE CONFLICTS AND POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

THERE IS A PROCESS EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS POLICY THAT ALLOWS YOU, AND SUGGESTS THAT YOU FOLLOW UP WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE THEN PROVIDE A WRITTEN LEGAL OPINION TO THE ENTIRE CITY COMMISSION TO HELP EVERYONE NAVIGATE THROUGH WHATEVER THE PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT BE. AND THEN THERE ARE WAYS TO EITHER ABSTAIN, DISCLOSE, OR POTENTIALLY CURE DEPENDING ON WHAT THE OUTCOMES ARE. SO FAR, THIS HAS WORKED QUITE WELL. I REMEMBER AT LEAST ONE TIME IN THE PAST WITH A COMMISSIONER THAT HAD A COMPATIBILITY OF OFFICE SITUATION WHERE THIS CAME UP AND WE WERE ABLE TO USE THIS PROCESS QUITE SUCCESSFULLY. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ABIDE BY THESE DISCLOSURES WHENEVER

[00:10:01]

POSSIBLE. YOU ALSO LIKELY GET A DISCLOSURE AS PART OF OUR EXTERNAL AUDIT. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT LAYERS OF DISCLOSURES AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOU AS ELECTED OFFICIALS.

AND THIS IS ONE AREA WHERE IT CURRENTLY EXISTS IN OUR CITY COMMISSION POLICIES. SO IF THERE ARE AREAS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE US KICK THE TIRES ON AND BRING BACK SOME CHANGES, OR MAYBE A MENU OF OPTIONS ON HOW THIS COULD LOOK DIFFERENT, WE'RE HAPPY TO LISTEN, AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, MAYOR LEGRAND, TO HELP GUIDE THAT CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. SO FOR THE PUBLIC, AND I'LL KICK THIS DISCUSSION OFF FOR MY COLLEAGUES. I AM I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO GET RIGHT, AND IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S INCREDIBLY TIME SENSITIVE. BUT I DO THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO BETTER ON. SO TO PULL BACK TO THE 20,000 FOOT VIEW, WHEN IN FOR A LONG TIME, WHEN REPORTERS AND ADVOCATES LOOK AT THE STATE OF MICHIGAN AND JUDGE, IT'S ETHICAL, THE ETHICAL LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY AT THE STATE LEVEL. THE STATE'S BEEN GETTING AN F FOR YEARS NOW. PARTLY THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DO THEY THEY HAVE OPTED OUT OF SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL SUBJECT TO. AND THAT IS THE FOIA. RIGHT. SO WE'RE ALL SUBJECT TO FOIA. AND SO BACK WHEN I WAS ON CITY COMMISSION, I LIVED UNDER THE RULES OF FOIA, MADE SENSE. AND THEN I GOT TO THE STATE AND FOUND OUT THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN WE COULD, YOU KNOW, EXEMPT OURSELVES, WHICH REALLY WAS WEIRD. SO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET FOIA FIXED FOR A LONG TIME. BUT I THEN DISCOVERED AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WE WERE ONE OF TWO STATES IN THE NATION THAT HAD NO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVES, ONE OF TWO, IDAHO'S THE OTHER ONE. AND HAVING WORKED ON THAT FOR A LONG TIME, EVENTUALLY THAT MORPHED INTO BALLOT PROPOSAL ONE IN THE LAST ELECTION CYCLE. NOW, TWO ELECTION CYCLES AGO NOW, MAYBE THAT WAS PASSED BY THE VOTERS.

AND SO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE WAS PUT IN AS A REQUIREMENT AT THE STATE LEVEL. NOW, I, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOOD GOVERNANCE THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AT THE STATE LEVEL, THERE'S A PRETTY COMPELLING REASON THAT THAT SHOULD THAT ALSO HAPPEN AT THE CITY COMMISSION LEVEL, ALL OF THE REASONS TO DO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIRE JUST AS THOROUGHLY TO US, IT SEEMS TO ME, AS THEY DO TO STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS. SO I WOULD BE IN FAVOR PERSONALLY OF LARGELY MIRRORING WHAT HAPPENED AT THE STATE LEVEL, WITH ONE BIG EXCEPTION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE BALLOT INITIATIVE PASSED, AND WHEN THE STATE ACTUALLY ENACTED LEGISLATION, THEY PUT AN EXEMPTION INTO THE WHOLE PROCESS THAT ESSENTIALLY GUTTED THE ENFORCEABILITY AND THE REALITY OF FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE AT THE STATE LEVEL. SO RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A DEEPLY FLAWED, IN MY OPINION, STATE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE. BECAUSE IT EXEMPTS SPOUSES NOW TO USE MYSELF AS AN EXAMPLE. AND I'M GOING TO USE MYSELF AS AN EXAMPLE A LOT HERE.

I MOST OF MY ASSETS, MY AND MY WIFE MELISSA'S ASSETS ARE IN LLCS. LLCS ARE A FORM OF CORPORATION WE CAN GET. I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE. AND THEY ALL HAVE OPERATING AGREEMENTS. WELL, I COULD TOMORROW MORNING AT BREAKFAST, CHANGE THE OPERATING AGREEMENTS OF ALL EIGHT OF THOSE LLCS. MAKE MELISSA THE SOLE OWNER. AND BINGO, I DON'T HAVE ANY ASSETS AND I DON'T HAVE ANY CONFLICTS AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT. SO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SPOUSES CAN SIMPLY SHIFT ALL OUR ASSETS QUITE EASILY INTO OUR SPOUSE'S NAMES AND BINGO, YOU KNOW, MAGIC TRICK. WE DON'T HAVE ANY FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE NEEDS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY FINANCES TO DISCLOSE. NOW, THE REASON TO DO FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE, BOILS DOWN TO THE RIGHT. THE VOTERS HAVE TO KNOW WHETHER WE HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. SO I THINK OUR POLICY AS WRITTEN NOW DOESN'T DO WE COULD DO BETTER. SO I'M NOT GOING TO ALL OF ALL OF THE POLICY WE'VE GOT NOW. THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD TO IT. BUT WHEN I LOOKED AT THIS FORM AND I HAD TO FILL OUT SCHEDULE A, I BELIEVE THAT I SIMPLY SAID I READ THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST. I DON'T HAVE ANY PRESENT OR POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST OTHER THAN THOSE LISTED BELOW. I DON'T THINK I LISTED ANY, AND I SIGNED IT. NOW I HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESS INTERESTS. IF TOMORROW ONE OF THOSE BUSINESS INTERESTS BECAME A SOURCE OF IF SOMETHING THE CITY COMMISSION DID AS A MATTER OF POLICY WERE TO PERSONALLY ENRICH ME, THAT WOULD BE A CONFLICT AND I SHOULD RECUSE MYSELF FROM THAT VOTE. HOWEVER, HOW DO THE VOTERS KNOW IF THE VOTERS DON'T KNOW WHERE MY BUSINESS INTERESTS ARE, IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT I OWN? SO IT'S

[00:15:05]

ALL I'VE GOT. THIS ALL IN MY OWN PERSONAL WEBSITE, AND I'VE DISCLOSED ALL MY FINANCES ON THAT WEBSITE, BUT I AM PART OWNER, FOR EXAMPLE, OF LONG ROAD DISTILLERS, WHICH IS A DISTILLER ON THE WEST SIDE. IF TOMORROW THE CITY COMMISSION DECIDED TO SAY, WELL, LET'S STIMULATE THE GRAND RAPIDS ECONOMY, LET'S AND YOU KNOW, DAVID LEGRAND HAD THIS GREAT IDEA TO EXEMPT ALL DISTILLERIES FROM PROPERTY TAXES. WELL, THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. BUT IF NO ONE KNEW THAT I WAS AN INTEREST IN LONG ROAD, IT WOULD BE HARD TO DETECT THAT CONFLICT. SO HAVING THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT I OWN IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS INVITING THE PUBLIC INTO BEING WATCHDOGS ON ALL OF US. AND I THINK THAT THAT FRANKLY, JUST IMPROVES GOVERNANCE. I THINK THAT ANYTIME THAT ANYBODY WANTS TO SAY, WELL, YOU OWN X, SO YOUR VOTE MAY, YOU KNOW, GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE, I SHOULD BE WELL, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO WILLING TO WELCOME THAT DISCUSSION, HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH PERFECT TRANSPARENCY. NOW THE OTHER THING I'LL JUST SAY, I NOTICED FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT THIS POLICY IS LET'S SAY LET'S SAY COMMISSIONER BELICHICK SAID, LET'S EXEMPT DISTILLERIES FROM PROPERTY TAXES. WELL, I'M NOT SURE THAT I WOULD THEN HAVE TO. I THINK MAYBE ONCE I KNEW SHE SAID THAT, I WOULD HAVE TO SUBMIT AN AMENDED STATEMENT WITHIN TEN DAYS. I'M NOT SURE. I THINK THAT OUR HISTORICALLY WHAT WE'VE DONE ON CONFLICTS IS IF SOMETHING COMES UP AS A POLICY, WE'VE SAID, HEY, I MIGHT HAVE A CONFLICT HERE. HERE'S WHAT IT IS. YOU DISCLOSE AND THEN YOU DO DO WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT DISCLOSURE. BUT AS WRITTEN, I THINK THAT WE MIGHT BE INADVERTENTLY TRIPPING OURSELVES UP A LOT IF THERE'S A REQUIREMENT THAT WE FILL AN AMENDED. I HAVEN'T CONFLICTED MYSELF OUT YET AS MAYOR. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IN DURING THIS SESSION IS CONFLICTED THEMSELVES OUT. BUT IF WE HAVE, WE MIGHT HAVE HAD TO GO BACK AND LIKE QUICK, FILL THIS FORM OUT AND I SO IT'S POSSIBLE COMMISSIONER KNIGHT DID I, DID I EXEMPT MYSELF FROM DID I, DID I CONFLICT MYSELF OUT OF SOMETHING? YOU WERE YOU WERE. WHAT WAS IT WHEN THEY DID THE SOCIAL DISTRICT FOR? OR. YEAH. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THAT? YEAH, THE FIRST MEETING. RIGHT, RIGHT.

SO I'M NOT SURE. I MEAN, AGAIN, LIKE, DID I HAVE TO FILL OUT THIS FORM, DID I, DID I SHOULD I HAVE UPDATED THAT FORM? IF SO, MAYBE I JUST, YOU KNOW, MADE A MISTAKE THERE AND WE CAN DISCUSS THAT. BUT THE POINT IS ANY TIME THERE IS A CONFLICT, IT'S IDEAL TO DISCLOSE IT PUBLICLY. BUT IF WE'VE GOT A TRIPWIRE DOCUMENT THAT'S. YEAH. YEAH. SO I'LL GET TO YOU IN A SECOND IF I COULD.

COMMISSIONER. SO. YEAH. SO I'LL HAVE TO TALK TO THE CITY COMMISSION, TO THE CITY ATTORNEY AFTER THIS MEETING AND SEE IF I HAVE TO FILL OUT A RETROACTIVE STATEMENT TO COMPLY WITH THAT POLICY. OR RECUSE MYSELF. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A POTENTIAL CONFLICT, WHICH I HAD TO DISCLOSE. SO I'M NOT SURE HOW I GO ON THE ON THAT FORM, TO BE HONEST. SO I GO AHEAD. I THINK THE THING WE NEED FROM YOU ALL IS, IS HOW MUCH CHANGE DO WE NEED TO DO TO THE POLICY? BECAUSE FROM LISTENING TO YOU, WHAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO CHANGE IS THAT FORM. THAT FORM COULD BE MORE DETAILED THAN IT IS. I'M NOT SURE YOU ALL WOULD HAVE TO DECIDE THAT. IF WE WANT TO COMPLETE MIRROR OF WHAT THE STATE HAS, BECAUSE THAT'S A, I THINK A LOT MORE COMPLICATED, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A NEED FOR THAT AT THIS LEVEL, BUT SURELY OUR FORM COULD BE BETTER.

SO I PERSONALLY WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF US DEVELOPING A FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE FORM FOR COMMISSIONERS. SO THAT AND I AND I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF IT NOT HAVING DOLLAR AMOUNTS IN IT, BUT SOURCES OF INCOME, BECAUSE SOURCES OF INCOME ARE THE HEART OF A CONFLICT ISSUE. SO AND COMMISSIONER, YOU WANT TO TALK. THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT YOU BROUGHT UP IN THE PAST. THERE WAS THAT POST THAT I WASN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS THE AI BOT THAT ACCOMPANIED WITH YOUR LANGUAGE ABOUT PEOPLE IN NONPROFITS SHOULDN'T SERVE IN ELECTED OFFICE, BECAUSE WE HAD WE TOOK IT DOWN. SO I DON'T I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT IT SAID.

BUT GO AHEAD. IT DID, IT DID IT DID IN THE LANGUAGE. AND SO IT'S GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU TODAY WHAT YOUR INTENT IS, IS THAT'S WHAT I MEAN TO SAY, BECAUSE WHEN I SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I HAD SOME CONCERNS. I THINK IF THE CORE WHAT I'M TRYING TO DISTILL FROM THE COMMENTS IS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE US REPORTED OUT PUBLICLY. SO THAT'S SORT OF THE MAIN THING, IF THAT'S THE DESIRE TO REPORT IT OUT PUBLICLY. BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, RIGHT. LIKE YOU COULD YOU CAN KIND OF GET A SENSE OF LIKE, WHO SUPPORTS WHO WITH YOUR CAMPAIGN FINANCE THINGS. WHEN WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND WE DO OUR SUBCOMMITTEE, WE ARE ALSO ASKED IF WE HAVE ANY CONFLICTS

[00:20:02]

AT THAT TIME. AND THEN TO, YOU KNOW, CITY MANAGER AND ATTORNEY'S POINT, WE HAVE DIFFERENT POINTS WHERE WE WOULD PUBLICLY STATE AND IN THE CASE OF THE CAR ALLOWANCE, IT WAS A, YOU KNOW, WAS IT A PERCEIVED YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS RECEIVING DOLLARS. BUT I THINK IN MANY OF THOSE CASES, SOMETIMES THOSE WERE PERCEIVED CONFLICTS AND YOU JUST WANTED TO FOR YOUR OWN. SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO DEFINE THAT. AND MAYBE THE FORM COULD ALSO SAY THAT TOO.

ANITA, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF SOMETHING IF IT'S GENERALLY REPORTING IT OUT PUBLICLY. IF WE'RE GOING TO REPORT PUBLICLY, THEN I WOULD SAY ADD THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULD NOT DO THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. I THINK THERE IS. SO I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH IT.

WHAT I DON'T I GUESS WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IF WE COULD BE EXPEDITIOUS IN THIS OF IS IT THE FORM BEING REVIEWED AND WHAT IS THE ONE CORE GOAL? IS THE CORE GOAL TO BE MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC IS AWARE AND WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT EITHER, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AT OUR LITTLE BIO PAGE AND HERE'S OUR DISCLOSURE AND CLICK HERE OR, YOU KNOW, JUST OR MAYBE EVEN WHEN WE DO I DON'T KNOW, WE COULD THINK ABOUT IF WE DO IT A MIDYEAR, WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE TIME AND JUST SAY, WE'VE RELEASED THAT AND COMMUNICATE IT OUT. I'M FINE WITH THAT. WHAT I WHAT I THINK WHAT I WANT TO DO IS GIVE SOME GOOD DIRECTION TO THE STAFF OF HOW WE CAN DO THIS EXPEDITIOUSLY, BECAUSE TO ME, THE FORM HAS BEEN WORKING. I, I REPORTED IT WHEN MY HUSBAND HAS GOTTEN A NEW JOB, WHEN I'VE GOTTEN A NEW JOB, I DON'T HAVE SIGNIFICANT BUSINESS INTERESTS. BUT SO I THINK IT'S WORKING. I THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S THE CORE IS THE REPORTING OUT TO THE PUBLIC, WHICH I WOULD SUPPORT.

SO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. AND I AND I THINK EXACTLY TO YOUR POINT, I THINK THE FORM HAS BEEN WORKING AND I THINK THAT BUT I DO THINK THAT PARTICULARLY RIGHT NOW IN AN AREA WHERE IN A TIME WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH FEAR, WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH DISTRUST OUT IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC, I THINK THAT BUILDING TRUST IN ALL OF US MAYBE MEANS GOING THE EXTRA MILE. AND SO I'M GLAD YOU SUPPORT IT. I LET ME JUST THROW THIS OUT THERE, BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS AT THE STATE LEVEL ABOUT FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE, AND SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY, I DON'T HAVE ANY ASSETS. IF THE VOTERS THINK I DON'T HAVE ANY ASSETS, THEN MAYBE I'LL GET ATTACKED FOR BEING POOR. AND THEN SOME PEOPLE SAY, I HAVE A LOT OF ASSETS. I DON'T WANT TO GET ATTACKED FOR BEING RICH. AND WHETHER ANY OF US ARE RICH OR POOR IS ONE QUESTION. BUT I THINK THE QUESTION, THE RELEVANT QUESTION FOR THE VOTERS IS WHERE ARE YOU GETTING YOUR MONEY FROM? SO I'LL GIVE YOU I'LL GIVE AN EXAMPLE. IT'S AN OLD HISTORICAL EXAMPLE. BUT NEAL, I THINK IT WAS NEAL BUSH. ONE OF THE BUSH BROTHERS RAN AN SNL. AND WHEN THAT SNL FAILED, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY DISCOVERED WAS THAT THE BANK HAD GIVEN HIM A BIG LOAN, AND IT WAS A LOAN BEARING ZERO INTEREST WITH NO REPAYMENT DATE. NOW, THAT'S NOT A LOAN. THAT'S A GIFT. AND SO IMAGINE IF I DON'T KNOW, GENERAL MOTORS WANTED TO BUILD, WANTED TO BUY CITY HALL. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT TURNED OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY PUT ALL OF US ON. THEY GAVE US ALL A STIPEND, AND WE WERE ALL HONORARY GENERAL MOTORS SUPPORTERS, AND THEY WERE PAYING US X. WELL, IF WE WERE IF WE'RE GETTING PAID ENOUGH MONEY, IF WE'RE GETTING PAID $5 A YEAR, PROBABLY IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO INFLUENCE OUR VOTE. SO MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE A, I THINK, THRESHOLD LEVELS MATTER, BUT HAVING THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT, OH, YOU KNOW, MAYOR LEGRAND'S GETTING INCOME FROM GENERAL MOTORS, I WONDER I WONDER IF THAT'S AFFECTING HIS HIS DECISION TO SELL CITY HALL TO GENERAL MOTORS. SO THE WHO'S GIVING YOU MONEY IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT FOR LET'S FOR THE SAKE OF I WANT TO GO BACK TO WHAT THE CITY ATTORNEY SAID. LET'S GIVE THEM SOME DIRECTION HERE. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SET WITH THAT. COMMISSIONER ICAC IS SET IS IN SUPPORT OF THIS AS WELL. AND THEN I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER ROBBINS HAS. YEAH. IF YOU DON'T MIND I, I ALSO AM VERY SUPPORTIVE OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURES OF THE SOURCE OF OUR INCOME. I THINK TO YOUR POINT, THAT'S THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW IS NOT NECESSARILY HOW MUCH, BUT WHERE IS IT COMING FROM. AND I THINK THAT'S THAT'S THE PIECE THAT REVEALS WHETHER THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, WHICH IS WHAT THIS POLICY IS ABOUT. AND I TOO WOULD SHARE IN CONCERNS OF AMOUNTS, YOU KNOW, ON, ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT COIN, WHETHER SOMEONE'S MAKING A TON OF MONEY OR, YOU KNOW, WORKING IN EVERYDAY MINIMUM WAGE JOB, LIKE, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL THAT DISCLOSING THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE THE PUBLIC'S PERCEPTION ABOUT THEM AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT THAT HAS ANY BEARING OVER THAT. SO I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF SOME SORT OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BASED ON SOURCE, NOT NECESSARILY BASED ON INCOME. SO THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHAT DIRECTION THE STAFF CAN MOVE IN. THANKS. AND THAT IS THE STATE POLICY RIGHT NOW. CITY MANAGER THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS POLICY NOT ONLY PERTAINS TO ELECTED OFFICIALS, BUT ALSO TO APPOINTED OFFICIALS, AS IS, I'M ASSUMING THE REVISED STATEMENT WOULD BE REQUIRED OF BOTH ELECTED AND APPOINTED. AND WITH THAT, IF THERE'S A GENERAL CONSENSUS TO IMPROVE THE CURRENT POLICY, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE STAFF BENCHMARK OTHER PRACTICES. THE STATE'S A GOOD REFERENCE, BUT THERE ARE OTHER MUNICIPAL

[00:25:04]

DISCLOSURE PRACTICES. I'VE DONE SEVERAL OVER MY CAREER, AND WE BRING BACK SEVERAL OPTIONS OF WHAT WE THINK ARE SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES AND GIVE THE COMMISSION A MENU OF THINGS TO CHOOSE FROM AND GIVE US FURTHER DIRECTION. OKAY, DID I SAW COMMISSIONER KILGORE, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF I SAW COMMISSIONER KNIGHT FIRST. DID YOU HAVE. NO. ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER KILGORE.

YEAH. SO I'M IN SUPPORT OF THIS. I JUST WANT TO GIVE FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC MORE INFORMATION. SO IN 2015, AN INVESTIGATION BY THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY NOTED THAT MICHIGAN RANKED DEAD LAST IN 2015 FOR TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT. WE'VE SINCE GONE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER. I THINK IN 2018, WE WERE CLOSE TO 35 OUT OF 50 STATES, WHICH I STILL THINK IS POOR. I THINK AS ONE OF OUR PILLARS AND VALUES TO BE GOVERNMENT EXCELLENCE. I THINK THIS IS HOW WE MODEL THAT AND MODELING BEHAVIOR IS GOOD. I'M IN SUPPORT OF ONE THAT MAYBE DOESN'T NEED SPECIFIC FIGURES.

WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT INCOME, BUT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM THIS, WHICH IS DEBT. IF YOU ARE IN DEBT TO SOMEONE, NO MATTER WHAT AMOUNT OF MONEY, YOUR VOTE CAN LOOK DIFFERENT. YOUR SUPPORT CAN OR LACK THEREOF CAN LOOK DIFFERENT. SO I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, HOPING THAT THIS WILL MOVE POSITIVE OR BE MODELING BEHAVIOR FOR OUR LEGISLATORS IN LANSING. WHO THE BRIGHT ACT, WHICH SPEAKS TO A LOT OF THIS HAS STALLED. AND I THINK GRAND RAPIDS, GRAND RAPIDS IS A LEADER IN MANY THINGS. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN LEAD WITH THIS AS WELL. SO SUPPORTIVE OF THIS FOR BOTH DEBT INCOME AND THEN HIGHLIGHTING SOME THINGS AS WELL OF SOME FOLKS CONCERN WHO MAY NOT BE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS TYPE OF TRANSPARENCY POLICY. SPEAK TO LET'S TAKE THAT FOR A SECOND OF MEDICAL DEBT. SO THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS APPROPRIATE HERE. RIGHT. AND THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU ARE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, YOU DO DESERVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF PRIVACY IN YOUR LIFE. AND MAYBE YOU DON'T WANT TO FOLKS, TO KNOW WHAT YOU WENT INTO MEDICAL DEBT FOR. SO THERE'S THINGS LIKE THAT. I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TAKE A VERY METERED APPROACH TO UPDATING THIS POLICY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO US DOING SO. THANK YOU. ANOTHER DISCUSSION AT THE STATE LEVEL, JUST SO IF I CAN ADD, WAS AROUND GIFTS. SO THE QUESTION OF LIKE A GIFT ABOVE A CERTAIN THRESHOLD. AND OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERS BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO GET GET IN TROUBLE BECAUSE YOU FORGOT SOMETHING YOUR WIFE OR YOUR HUSBAND GAVE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS. BUT OUTSIDE OF FAMILY MEMBERS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S YOU KNOW, ONE PERSON'S GIFT IS ANOTHER PERSON'S INFLUENCE. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION? I THINK I THINK THE CITY MANAGER. YEAH. COMMISSIONER PURDUE, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE BRINGING UP THIS CONVERSATION. I DIDN'T KNOW SOME OF THE DATA AROUND WHERE WE RANKED. AND I THINK THAT'S FOCUSED ON THE STATE LEVEL, RIGHT? YES, THAT'S FOR THE ENTIRE STATE. YES. SO I LIKE THE APPROACH OF LOOKING AT EXAMPLES FROM OTHER CITIES. I AM BRINGING BACK DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE MIGHT CONSIDER WOULD BE, I THINK, A GOOD USE OF TIME IN GENERAL. I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOURCE OF INCOME AND WHERE FOLKS WHERE FOLKS GET DOLLARS, LARGE GIFTS, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT DIRECTION. I THINK THE OTHER AREA THAT HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED, THOUGH, IS BUSINESS PARTNERS AND HOW BUSINESS PARTNERS MIGHT BENEFIT FROM DECISIONS MADE HERE. AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO BRING INTO THE CONVERSATION AS WELL, IN THAT YOU NOR YOUR BUSINESS PARTNER SHOULD BENEFIT FROM YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE. GOT IT. SO IF I COULD ASK A LITTLE MORE ON THAT, LET'S SAY YOU AND I OWNED A COFFEE HOUSE TOGETHER. IF I DISCLOSE THAT I OWN THE COFFEE HOUSE AND YOU'RE NOT ON COMMISSION, AND ME DISCLOSING THAT I'M AN OWNER OF THE COFFEE HOUSE COVERS THAT YOU GETTING ENRICHED FROM COFFEE HOUSE SHENANIGANS, LET'S CALL IT. CAN YOU THINK OF A SCENARIO IN WHICH THE COMMISSIONER DISCLOSING THEIR BUSINESS INTEREST WOULDN'T BE SUFFICIENT? I GUESS I'M NOT. NOT CLEAR THAT I'M THINKING OF SCENARIOS IN WHICH. YOU KNOW, SO THERE SO THERE'S WHAT'S LAW AND THERE'S ETHICS. AND I THINK A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS, IS ETHICS. AND I'M, I'M THINKING OF A NUMBER OF SITUATIONS IN WHICH REAL AND HYPOTHETICAL, IN WHICH ELECTED OFFICIALS MIGHT APPOINT THEIR BUSINESS PARTNERS TO POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE POSITIONS WHERE THEY HAVE DECISION MAKING POWERS OVER FINANCIAL DECISIONS AND OR DECISION MAKING POWERS AND INFLUENCE RELATED TO THE DIRECTION OF CITY POLICY. AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK LOOKING AT OPTIONS OF HOW OTHER CITIES MIGHT APPROACH THIS WOULD BE A MORE CONCRETE CONVERSATION AROUND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. BUT WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE

[00:30:04]

IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GOALS AND THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE, THAT IS ONE THAT IS BIG FOR ME. AND I THINK WE'VE HAD EXAMPLES, AND I'M NOT THINKING OF ANYONE HERE PARTICULARLY, BUT WHERE ETHICS AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST TRULY WERE A CONCERN AND PLAYED OUT PUBLICLY OR NOT SO PUBLICLY. SO I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. AND WHERE YOU THROW THE LINE OF INFLUENCE IS, IS, YOU KNOW, IT IS. AND I THINK THAT'S THAT'S WHY IT'S TRICKY. AND I THINK WITHIN REASON, RIGHT. WITHIN REASON, I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING SHOULD BE OVERBEARING AND STOP COMMERCE. RIGHT. SO ALL OF THIS IS AROUND HOW DO WE HOW DO WE STICK TO THAT GOAL, NOT OVERSTEP AROUND PRIVACY, AROUND COMMERCE? ALL OF US DO HAVE A RIGHT TO PURSUE BUSINESS INTERESTS. AND WE SHOULD. BUT WE I THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT LEVERAGE THIS POSITION TO DO SO. BUT I DO THINK THAT THE CURRENT POLICY SPEAKS TO A LOT OF THAT. IT SPEAKS TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVE, PARTICULARLY CONFIDENTIALLY, CANNOT BE USED TO ENRICH OURSELVES OR THOSE AROUND US. IT DOESN'T REALLY SAY THAT PARTICULARLY. SO I THINK I THINK THE TOPIC AND THE DIRECTION IS A REALLY GOOD ONE, THE HOW WE GET THERE, I THINK THE NUANCE IS WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE CHALLENGE. AND SO I THINK LOOKING AT WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE AND WHAT HAS WORKED AND WHAT HASN'T, THAT KIND OF STRIKES, THAT BALANCE WOULD BE WHERE I WOULD WANT TO FOCUS OUR CONVERSATION NEXT. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT. I IT IS IT IS A QUESTION OF LIKE WHAT'S FEASIBLE BECAUSE, OKAY, IF YOU'RE IN BUSINESS WITH SOMEBODY, YOU'VE GOT A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM OF SOME KIND. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR BEST FRIEND FROM COLLEGE? YOU KNOW, IF YOU COULD APPOINT THEM TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. AND THEN THEY STARTED, I DON'T KNOW, DOING THINGS THAT HELPED THEM WITH THEIR I IF THEY WERE IF YOUR BEST FRIEND FROM COLLEGE IS A DEVELOPER AND THEN YOU PUT THEM ON PLANNING AND THEN THEY STARTED I MEAN YOU COULD. SO DISCLOSING LIKE FRIEND RELATIONSHIPS, I MEAN, IT JUST IT'S LIKE WHO'S YOUR FRIEND AND WHO'S NOT YOUR FRIEND, RIGHT.

LIKE IF YOU GO IF YOU'RE ROY ROGERS, YOU GO THROUGH THE WORLD THINKING EVERYONE'S YOUR FRIEND.

SO WILL ROGERS, ONE OF THOSE ROGERS, ONE OF THEM WAS A COWBOY. AND ANOTHER WROTE HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE. BUT I DO I DO THINK IT'S I DO THINK IT'S A DISCUSSION THAT'S WORTH HAVING IN THE SENSE THAT I THINK, IF ANYTHING, THAT COULD HELP US TIGHTEN UP ETHICS AND MAKE SURE THAT A WE'RE NOT SELF-ENRICHING AND B WE'RE NOT MAKING PATHS FOR PEOPLE AROUND US TO SELF ENRICH. I MEAN, THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM IN GOVERNMENT SINCE WE STARTED GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? IS YEAH, YEAH. I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING, IF THIS IS HELPFUL, IS THERE'S A DESIRE TO HAVE SOME ASPIRATIONAL ELEMENTS EMBEDDED INTO THIS POLICY, PERHAPS THROUGH THE, THE FORM.

AND THERE'S ALSO UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. WE DON'T WANT THIS TO BE A SWORD THAT COMMISSIONERS USE AGAINST FUTURE COMMISSIONERS TO TRY TO CALL THEM OUT AND HAVE MISDEMEANOR CHARGES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME AMBIGUITY IN THERE. THE COMPLEXITY OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, WE KNOW IS QUITE, QUITE COMPLEX TO SAY IT LIGHTLY, AND WE WANT TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT.

SO I'M PICKING UP WHAT YOU'RE LAYING DOWN. AND I THINK THAT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S HELP, WE CAN PROBABLY DO SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND PUT SOMETHING IN FRONT OF YOU IN A REASONABLE TIME. THANKS, MAYOR. ONE FOLLOW UP. I'M CURIOUS, CITY ATTORNEY, ARE THE FORMS THAT WE FILL OUT, ARE THOSE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, LIKE IN THE SAKE OF PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY? IS THERE A EXPLICIT CONNECTION THERE AT THIS TIME? THEY ARE NOT. YOU FILL THEM OUT, WE KEEP THEM IN A FILE AND THEN AS FAR AS IT GOES. SO YEAH, I THINK PUBLICLY PUBLIC DISCLOSURE WOULD BE IMPERATIVE PERSONALLY AND NOT PROTECTED AND NOT PROTECTED THOUGH. GOOD POINT CITY MANAGER. THEY ARE SUBJECT TO FOIA. THEY'RE NOT SURE YOU DON'T HAVE THEM POSTED ANYWHERE. SO WHAT THE WAY THAT I TAKE THIS IS AT THIS POINT, THE NEXT STEP IS WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH CITY MANAGER AND COME BACK TO YOU WITH SOME OPTIONS AFTER WE'VE LOOKED AT OTHER CITIES. OKAY. SO THANK YOU ALL. THAT WAS A GREAT DISCUSSION. GETTING THE SENSE THAT THAT PEOPLE THAT WE'VE BEATEN THIS HORSE, AS LONG AS WE WANT TO BEAT IT AS MUCH AS WE WANT TO FEEDING A HORSE, IS THAT YOUR EXPRESSION, COMMISSIONER KOGER? FEEDING A BIRD WITH TWO STONES? SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IF WE FED THIS BIRD ENOUGH SCONES, LET'S MOVE ON TO MINE. BUT WE OVER. YES WE DID OVER FEED THIS BIRD. WELL, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OVER FEED, BUT YES, WE CAN BE DONE FEEDING THIS BIRD NOW. SO THAT WILL BRING US TO OUR SECOND

[2. Presentation from the Grand Rapids Police Department on improvements since 2022.]

PRESENTATION THEN. THIS IS FROM GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND SPECIFICALLY GOING TO FOCUS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, ON PROGRESS WE'VE MADE SINCE 2022, IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND POLICING IN GENERAL. SO HERE BEFORE THE BEFORE THE CHIEF GOES, I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL, THANK THE COMMISSION FOR ALLOWING THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION AND FOR THE CHIEF BEING HERE TODAY. AND I

[00:35:08]

JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT THIS CONVERSATION THAT HAS BEEN ASKED BY BY SEVERAL OF YOU TODAY IS ONE THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING FOR YEARS. AND WHAT THE CHIEF WILL DO TODAY IS PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE HISTORIC THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT I THINK HAS LED TO CREATING A SAFER COMMUNITY, MORE TRUSTED POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO SOME OF THE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT HAS HAPPENED UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP SINCE HE HAS BEEN HERE. AND YOU'LL SEE HE HAS BEEN QUITE BUSY IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. I KNOW MUCH HAS BEEN FOCUSED SINCE THE VERY TRAGIC INCIDENT IN 2022, AND WE'VE KIND OF BEEN RECENTLY REMINDED OF THAT WITH MANY OF THE COURT PROCEEDINGS. AND SO JUST TO PUT THINGS IN FRAMEWORK, CHIEF IS GOING TO GIVE US AN OVERVIEW.

AND THEN ALSO KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT THINGS CAN BE DONE IN THE FUTURE TO IMPROVE UPON THIS WORK. BUT I JUST WANT TO ALSO PERSONALLY COMMEND HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP UNDER SOME VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES SINCE HIS ARRIVAL. AND HERE HE IS TODAY, THREE YEARS LATER, CONTINUING TO LEAD THE DEPARTMENT FORWARD. SO. SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO HIM.

THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. AND WHAT I WANT TO DO TODAY IS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO BE PRESENT FOR, FOR THE WHOLE COMMISSION. AND SO I BROUGHT A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE CAPTAINS, ACTUALLY ONE CAPTAINS ON TRAINING AND ONE IS ON VACATION.

BUT INTERESTINGLY, I LOOK OUT AND SEE ONLY CAPTAIN BYLSMA IS THE ONE MEMBER OF OUR CAPTAINS OR DEPUTY CHIEFS WHO'S IN THE SAME POSITION AS HE WAS WHEN WE STARTED. SO A LOT CHANGED IN THREE YEARS. JOINED BY DEPUTY CHIEF TRIGG HERE TODAY AND SOME MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT WHO YOU PROBABLY WON'T RECOGNIZE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IN UNIFORM ADDITIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT.

SINCE I BECAME THE CHIEF OF STAFF MATT WEIBEL, JEN KOWALCZYK, OUR OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MAGDALENE WARD, OUR NEW. I SAY NEW, BUT YOU'VE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH NOW, VICTIM SERVICES COORDINATOR. AND OF COURSE, HOPEFULLY YOU ALL KNOW CLARISSA, OUR VICTIM SERVICES MANAGER. KEVIN CARPENTER, MANAGER FROM IT IS HERE AS WELL. NATE. ME, LIEUTENANT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS. WE'VE GOT A WHOLE BUNCH OF CAPTAINS HERE. LIEUTENANT ALCALA, LEADER OF THE GREATEST GROUP OF DETECTIVES, PERIOD. THAT'S THE END OF THAT SENTENCE.

ALSO, SERGEANT GOMEZ AND OFFICER KING ARE HERE FROM THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UNIT. SO I WANTED YOU TO HAVE THIS BREATH OF KNOWLEDGE IN CASE YOU HAVE SOME SOME QUESTIONS. AND ONE THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UNIT. THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SO MUCH. HIRING IS ONE OF THEIR BIG TASKS, BUT ALSO CLEAR WHICH IS OUR RETURNING CITIZENS. PROGRAM.

RETURNING RETURNING CITIZENS SUCCESS PROGRAM FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN OR YOUTH ATHLETIC PROGRAMS. OUR NEW EXCITED GRANT FUNDED CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS PROGRAM, VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM, MEALS ON WHEELS, YOUTH POLICE ACADEMY, SEX OFFENDER ENFORCEMENT, SAFER PROGRAM. SO MUCH MORE. ALSO, YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO LEAVE YOU OUT? SERGEANT HOWARD IS HERE. HE'S THE SUPERVISOR FOR OUR CO-RESPONSE TEAM. AND SERGEANT WARD IS HERE. THE CAPTAIN FOR TRAINING IS HIMSELF IN TRAINING RIGHT NOW. AND SERGEANT WARD IS HERE FROM THE TRAINING UNIT, SO KIND OF HAVE EVERYBODY COVERED IN CASE THE QUESTIONS GET TOO COMPLICATED FROM FOR ME. SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BEEN HERE SINCE 1871. AS THE CITY MANAGER SAID, IT'S BEEN ABOUT THREE YEARS, MAYBE THREE YEARS, FOUR MONTHS FOR ME. WE HAVEN'T DONE EVERYTHING WE'VE SET OUT TO DO, BUT WE'RE WE'RE STILL HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND WHEN I STARTED, I ASKED BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY, WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT KEY TO SUCCESS HERE? AND THAT'S IT'S THE TWO WORDS RIGHT THERE BE PRESENT. AND I'VE EMBRACED BOTH STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNAL AND COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, BEING MYSELF AS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE TO BOTH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE ENTIRE GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY. SO THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE OVER OVER THE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN THERE REFLECT THE FEEDBACK THAT I'VE GOTTEN. SO HISTORY, YOU CAN SEE HISTORY OF POLICING BOTH HEROIC AND HARMFUL. WHEN WE TRAIN OUR RECRUITS, THERE'S PLENTY OF MODERN DISCUSSIONS ON TOPICS OF WHAT CAUSES MISTRUST BETWEEN POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY. BUT WE DON'T WANT OUR YOUNG RECRUITS, SOME OF WHOM HAVE BEEN BORN THIS CENTURY. WE DON'T WANT OUR YOUNGER CREWS TO SEE THE ROOTS OF GENERATIONAL MISTRUST. I'M TALKING BACK SLAVE PATROLS, BLACK CODES ENFORCED BY UNIFORMED AMERICAN POLICE OFFICERS, SEGREGATION LAWS AS LESS RELEVANT LIKE ANCIENT HISTORY BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT. SO I'M THANKFUL I HAD A CHANCE TO SEE THE PICTURE THERE OF THE TOP OF OFFICER JOHN STUBBS. I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET HIM. I JUST HAD A CHANCE MEETING WITH A YOUNG WOMAN WHO IS THE DAUGHTER OF GRPD OFFICER JOHN

[00:40:02]

STUBBS, AND HE PASSED WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG AND I STARTED RESEARCHING HER FATHER'S HISTORY WITH GRPD, HOPING JUST TO FIND SOME PICTURES TO SHARE WITH HER FAMILY FROM HIS PERSONNEL FILE, BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PICTURES OF HIM IN UNIFORM. AND SO I WENT TO THE ARCHIVES AND I FOUND THIS ONE. BUT WHAT I ALSO FOUND WAS AN ENVELOPE WITH A SIGNATURE OVER AN UNBROKEN SEAL, WHICH WAS TO BE KEPT SECRET AND, QUOTE, ONLY OPENED BY THE POLICE CHIEF, UNOPENED. SINCE THE 1950S, IT WAS A SET OF DOCUMENTS WHICH SHOWED OFFICER STUBBS HAD A CRIMINAL RECORD WHICH NEEDED TO BE KEPT SECRET. AS AN ARMY VETERAN RETURNING RECENTLY FROM OVERSEAS IN 1948, HE ATTEMPTED TO USE A WHITES ONLY TENNIS COURT IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AND WAS ARRESTED. PROBABLY TOO SMALL TO SEE, BUT YOU SEE THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING THERE ON THE LEFT. THE PAPER EVEN PRINTED THE NAMES AND HOME ADDRESSES OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAD THE AUDACITY TO COME PROTEST FOR JOHN STUBBS IN CASE ANYBODY WANTED TO VISIT THEM AT THEIR HOMES IN KENTUCKY TO DISCUSS IT WITH THEM. FIVE YEARS LATER, IN 1953, WHILE SEGREGATION WAS STILL BEING ENFORCED IN SOME PLACES IN AMERICA BY UNIFORMED AMERICAN POLICE OFFICERS, JOHN STILL SAW THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO MUCH GOOD AS A POLICE OFFICER AND JOINED GRPD AND THIS CONNECTION FOR ME AND JOHN'S DAUGHTER, MEGAN LIVES IN THE CITY AND IS YOUNGER THAN I AM, SO IT MAKES IT SEEM NOTHING LIKE ANCIENT HISTORY AND IS A GREAT STORY TO SHARE WITH OUR YOUNG OFFICERS. COMING UP, OUR HISTORY HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHERE OTHERS ARE COMING FROM AND MOTIVATES US TO DO BETTER. I ALSO SAID IN THE TOP THERE, HEROIC. THERE'S SO MUCH WE CAN'T SAY FOR VARIOUS REASONS ABOUT THE DAY TO DAY WORK THAT POLICE OFFICERS DO THAT I THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL MORE OFTEN, AND I THINK I CAN DO A BETTER JOB DOING IT. WE GO ON 300 PLUS CALLS EVERY YEAR ALMOST, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 80 AND 100,000 CALLS EVERY YEAR. I MEAN, 300 PLUS A DAY. JUST THIS WEEKEND IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, THERE WERE FIVE HANDGUNS REMOVED FROM INDIVIDUALS, EITHER ON BICYCLES OR SCOOTERS OR ON FOOT ON THE SIDEWALKS. DOWNTOWN ILLEGALLY POSSESSED GUNS, WITH INDIVIDUALS ACTING IN A IN AN ILLEGAL WAY. AND THEY WERE ALL IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU NEVER HEAR OF. EACH ONE OF THOSE POTENTIAL DEADLY FORCE INCIDENT. BUT BUT I DON'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB. I THINK TELLING YOU ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS PICTURE, THE TOP PICTURE HERE WITH THE INCIDENT ON CESAR CHAVEZ A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN OFFICERS RAN INTO GUNFIRE TO SAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN SHOT. BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. I WANTED TO TELL YOU GUYS ALL ABOUT THIS STORY, BUT THIS IS A YOUNG GIRL, 16 YEARS OLD, WHO WAS SEXUALLY TRAFFICKED, ABDUCTED, AND HER. SHE MANAGED TO RUN AWAY FROM HER ABDUCTOR FROM THE CAR. VERY BRAVE YOUNG WOMAN. OBVIOUSLY, FOR PRIVACY REASONS, WE CAN'T TELL YOU MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT USING A DRONE, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A LITTLE BIT, THESE OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO APPREHEND THIS MONSTER. AND NOW HOPEFULLY HE'LL BE IN, IN PRISON FOR NATURAL LIFE. SO. I'LL GET TO IT. BUT I WANT TO AGAIN, I COULD DO A BETTER JOB TELLING YOU. AND I REALIZE THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THANKFUL FOR. THOSE OF YOU WHO ATTENDED OUR AWARDS BANQUET, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SEE ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT WE DON'T SHARE ENOUGH OF. AND THIS IS JUST AN OFFICER AT THE PASSENGER WINDOW OF A TRAFFIC STOP, AND YOU'LL SEE A VEHICLE UNRELATED TO THE TRAFFIC STOP. AND HEY, WE GOT AN EMERGENCY. PLEASE HELP ME. PLEASE. WHAT'S GOING ON? MY BABY. OKAY. NO, NO, NO, NO, PLEASE HELP ME! OH, PLEASE HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME! NO NO NO! PLEASE! PLEASE, PLEASE. HE'S CHOKING! WHAT IS WRONG? HELP ME! THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. YOU'RE OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. OH, GOD. YOU OKAY? NO.

WHAT'S OKAY? YOU'RE OKAY. YEAH. JUST KEEP COMING. BUT SHE'S GOOD NOW. PLEASE GO. YOU'RE OKAY.

YOU'RE OKAY. HEY, HEY. SHE'S OKAY, SHE'S OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. SO IN LIGHT OF ALL THE QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE. THE TRIAL OF FORMER OFFICER SCHERR, RECENT INCIDENTS, SOMETIMES THERE'S AN EFFORT TO PAINT A PICTURE THAT NO PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE AT GRPD MAKING THIS DISCUSSION THAT MORE IMPORTANT. THE WHOLE TIMELINE HERE LOOKS BACK TEN YEARS. BUT YOU'LL SEE, PROGRESS IS REALLY ACCELERATED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. BUT I DON'T WANT TO DISCOUNT ALL THE PROGRESS BEFORE MY ARRIVAL IS SIGNIFICANT. YOU'LL SEE THE BODY WORN CAMERAS THERE. 21 CP CONSULTANTS CAME OUT SHARING OUR OUR POLICIES PUBLICLY, BUT OH. OKAY. SO 2022 PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL, THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY WHICH WE LATER FOLLOWED TO OBTAIN DRONE APPROVAL WAS

[00:45:02]

UPDATED. I STARTED IN MARCH. IT WAS A FEW WEEKS LATER THAT PATRICK LEROY WAS KILLED BY FORMER OFFICER. SURE, THE CITY AS A WHOLE INCREASED ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REFUGEE AND IMMIGRATION COMMUNITY, INCLUDING YOUR PD, WHICH INCREASED THE POLICE CHIEF ADVISORY TEAM TO INCLUDE REPRESENTATION FROM EMERGENCY EMERGING COMMUNITIES AND STARTED MEETING WITH REFUGEE COMMUNITIES, WHICH CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. WE SAW AN ALARMING SPIKE IN VIOLENT CRIME DURING THE SUMMER OF 22, AND THE REST OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT RALLIED TO DO THEIR PART IN MAKING OUR CITY SAFER. WITH A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO PUBLIC SAFETY. IN JULY, I GAVE THE COMMISSION PRESENTATION FOR MY 100 DAY ANNIVERSARY, SHARING MY VISION FOR THE DEPARTMENT. WE ALSO PILOTED THE CO-RESPONSE PROGRAM AND NETWORK 180 WITH OUR VERY FIRST CLINICIAN. LATER IN THE YEAR, WE BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE STATE TO ADD CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT LANGUAGE TO OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. OUR 911 CENTER UPDATED TECHNOLOGY TO ACCEPT TEXT MESSAGES TO 911 UPDATED POLICIES ON DE-ESCALATION, RESPONSE TO RESISTANCE AND USE OF FORCE WERE IMPLEMENTED ALONG WITH THE SANCTITY OF LIFE POLICY THAT ESTABLISHES THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND TRAINING WAS COMPLETED TO INCORPORATE THESE NEW POLICIES.

2023 ANOTHER BIG YEAR OF CHANGES AS WE REORGANIZED OUR COMMAND STAFF TO PRIORITIZE AND ELEVATE OUR TRAINING AND ENGAGEMENT UNIT, WE TRANSITIONED FROM IMPACT STRIKING TO GRAPPLING JUJITSU FOCUSED SUBJECT CONTROL PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BEEN EMBRACED TO THE POINT WE HAVE NUMEROUS INSTRUCTORS NOW AND A VERY ACTIVE GRAPPLING CLUB. WE'VE OBSERVED SAFER RESULTS FOR ALL PARTIES. AS WE CONTINUE TO TRAIN AND GET BETTER. WE BEGAN A COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY, EVEN INCLUDING FIVE THINGS FRIDAY, WHICH RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION FROM POLICE PUBLICATIONS AND HELPED HUMANIZE OUR DEPARTMENT MEMBERS. SO THEY ARE NOT JUST SEEN AS THE UNIFORM THAT THEY WEAR. WE UPDATE, UPDATED OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, EXPANDED RECRUITING TO INCLUDE MILITARY BASES AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND TOOK EFFORTS TO ADD EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE THE USE OF SWORN OFFICERS FOR ROLES WHICH CAN BE FILLED BY CIVILIANS. WE TRANSITIONED SWORN OFFICERS OFF THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM WHILE STILL MAINTAINING A LIAISON POSITION, HIRED A CIVILIAN CHIEF OF STAFF AND CIVILIANIZED RECORDS, SUBPOENA SERVICES AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER POSITIONS. WE OBTAINED CALEA ACCREDITATION IN JULY, ENSURING THAT NOT ONLY DO WE MEET THE BEST NATIONAL PRACTICES, BUT WE ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF SELF-EVALUATION. WITH SUMMER VIOLENCE AGAIN A CONCERN THE CITY RECOGNIZES THE POLICE CAN'T DO IT ALONE INCREASED ITS INVESTMENT IN SUMMER VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS AFTER A LARGE AMOUNT OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS SURVEILLANCE POLICY, PADILLA OBTAINED DRONES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST OF 2023. BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE HAD LAUNCHED A MULTI-PRONGED IN-PERSON AND ONLINE RECRUITING CAMPAIGN TO AID IN REACHING APPROPRIATE STAFFING. WITH THIS, WITH THE SUPPORT OF OPA, WE OBTAINED NEW AND IMPROVED BODY WORN CAMERAS WITH BETTER QUALITY IMAGES AND A TWO STAGE SHUTOFF, WHICH NOW PREVENTS UNINTENTIONAL STOPS TO RECORDING. WE ALSO OBTAINED NEW TASERS WITH A LONGER EFFECTIVE RANGE AND TECHNOLOGY, WHICH DISABLES A TASER IF AN OFFICER LOSES POSSESSION OF IT. PART OF THAT CONTRACT ALSO GAVE US A STATE OF THE ART VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINERS, SO WE CAN ENHANCE OUR SCENARIO BASED TRAINING TO INCLUDE A WHOLE NEW CATALOG OF REAL LIFE SCENARIOS THAT LOOK AND FEEL REALISTIC. LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST TIME WE SENT A SPONSORED RECRUIT CLASS TO THE GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGES ACADEMY, AND I WAS INVITED BY THE COLLEGE TO PROVIDE INPUT DURING THEIR RECENT INTERVIEWS FOR THE NEWLY HIRED ACADEMY DIRECTOR. FEBRUARY 24TH, WE ADDED A SECOND FULL TIME CIVILIAN TO THE CO-RESPONSE TEAM. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MET WITH ELECTED STATE LEADERSHIP TO DISCUSS POLICE REFORMS, RESULTING IN THE PUBLISHING OF AN OP ED IN THE DETROIT FREE PRESS ADVOCATING THE ELIMINATION OF NO KNOCK WARRANTS TO FURTHER BOTH TRANSPARENCY AND RECRUITING EFFORTS. INVESTIGATION.

DISCOVERY BEGAN FILMING A DOCU SERIES FOR 100 DAYS STARTING IN MAY OF LAST YEAR. WE ACTIVATED OUR NEW CRIME STAT DASHBOARD IN JUNE. WE WERE THE FIRST AGENCY AUTHORIZED TO UTILIZE THE CRIME CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT AS THEY GOT UP AND RUNNING IN THEIR FIRST SIX MONTHS. WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE THIS VITAL PART OF THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS CENTER TO PROVIDE THOSE IN CRISIS A NEAR IMMEDIATE PATH TO SERVICES AND BETTER OUTCOMES. SPEAKING OF BETTER OUTCOMES, WE ADDED A THIRD FULL TIME CLINICIAN TO OUR CO-RESPONSE TEAM TO BEGIN COVERAGE OF NIGHT SHIFTS. ONE THING I SAY IN MY SWEARING IN SPEECH FOR ALL OUR NEW HIRES IS THAT WE DON'T HIRE PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR RESUME FILLED WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERIENCE. WE KNOW WE HAVE TOP NOTCH TRAINING. WE CAN TRAIN TO ELEVATE OUR RECRUIT SKILLS AND POLICE PROCEDURE, SO LONG AS THEY HAVE EXCELLENT CHARACTER. THAT'S WHY WE REVAMPED OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING PROCESS TO SCREEN FOR PROPENSITY OF VIOLENCE AND SCREENING FOR BIAS. WE'VE KEPT THE PROGRESS GOING FULL SPEED THIS YEAR WITH THE HELP OF THE COMMISSION, ADDING THE POSITION OF VICTIM SERVICES MANAGER TO EXPAND THE TEAM AND SERVICES FOR THE VULNERABLE, ESPECIALLY TO SUPPORT FOR SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. IN APRIL, THE TEAM HELD ITS FIRST COMMUNITY SESSION ON HEALING FROM TRAUMA AND CRIME VICTIMS RIGHTS. WE'VE ADDED EFFICIENCY TO OUR USE OF FORCE TRACKING WITH NEW SOFTWARE, TRANSITION TO A BETTER, LESS LETHAL TOOLS AND MARK MY THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, WHICH WENT BY SO QUICKLY. FINALLY, WE JUST

[00:50:02]

RENEWED OUR CONTRACT WITH NETWORK 80 TO ENSURE THE CON OF OUR AWESOME CO-RESPONSE TEAM.

LOOKING AHEAD, WE ARE WORKING WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND OPA TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT LEGAL AND POLICY PRIORITIES IN THE CITY. WE ARE PLANNING ON THE RETURN OF A NEW AND IMPROVED COMMUNITY OFFICER PROGRAM AND A DEPARTMENT WHICH 25 YEARS AGO HAD 400 OFFICERS. WE'VE BEEN DOING MORE WITH LESS AND IMPROVING EFFICIENCY, BUT FROM A LOW OF 261 WHEN I GOT HERE, WE ARE GROWING TO MEET OUR OUR GROWING CITIES NEEDS AND WE ARE ALWAYS SEEKING COMMUNITY, SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT. WE'LL BE TAKING PART IN THE NEXT COMMISSION NIGHT OUT FOCUSED ON PUBLIC SAFETY. AND NOW WITH THAT, I WILL. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF OR THE LARGE TEAM ASSEMBLED HERE. COMMISSIONER KILGORE. YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHIEF, FOR THESE UPDATES IN THE TIMELINE. IT WAS VERY NICE TO SEE THESE AND THE TIMELINE YOU ALL. WHEN WAS THE ADDITION OF THE LGBTQ PLUS LIAISON? WE CELEBRATED THAT LAST MONTH.

YEAH. SO? SO THAT WAS BEFORE. BEFORE MY ARRIVAL. AND THEN MALLORY TOOK OVER FOR FROM A LIEUTENANT WHO JUST RETIRED. MAUREEN. RETIRED ABOUT A MONTH AGO. TWO MONTHS AGO. 2019. WE BEGAN AND MALLORY JUST TOOK OVER TWO MONTHS AGO, I THINK AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE EVEN. YEAH, YEAH. PRIDE MONTH. YEAH. I THINK THAT'D BE GREAT TO ADD IN THIS TIMELINE. I THINK WE SHOULD ADD IT. AND CAN YOU GIVE THE PUBLIC AND MYSELF AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT WORK LOOKS LIKE FOR THE LGBT? YEAH, WELL, MAN, I SHOULD HAVE INVITED MALLORY. LIKE, WHO SHOULD I INVITE? I DIDN'T WANT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WE STILL GOT TO DO THE POLICE WORK OUT IN THE CITY. BUT I SHOULD HAVE INVITED MALLORY TO. SO. IS INDIVIDUAL SPECIFICALLY TO REACH OUT TO ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS, BUT ALSO, IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT GROUP OF LGBTQ PLUS EMPLOYEES WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND SO IT'S PEER SUPPORT TO WE WANT TO BE A WELCOMING ORGANIZATION, BUT I AM NOT BEST POSITIONED TO SAY WHAT MAKES INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM ME WELCOME, WELCOME. SO THAT'S ONE OF MALLORY'S JUST AS IMPORTANT AS REACHING OUT TO THOSE OUTSIDE GROUPS. AND THEN ANY YOU KNOW, WITH, I'D SAY 2020 AND THEN 2022 IS DIFFICULT FOR US. WE GOT SORT OF UNINVITED TO A LOT OF THINGS FROM VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PRIDE CENTER BEING ONE THAT SORT OF CUT OFF TIES WITH US. BUT BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BACK WHEN, WHENEVER WE CAN GET THEM. SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE THERE, AND MALLORY IS THE RIGHT PERSON FOR IT. YEAH.

THANK YOU. YEAH. COMMISSIONER. CHELSEA. THANK YOU CHIEF. THANKS FOR THIS OVERVIEW. I THINK, YOU KNOW, I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WAS HERE IN 2022. AND I REMEMBER THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.

AND YOU KNOW, I JUST APPRECIATE THE NUMBER ONE THING I THINK I HEAR FROM YOU OR HEAR ABOUT YOU, IS THAT YOU ARE EVERYWHERE AND THAT YOU TRY TO GO INTO DIFFERENT SPACES AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE, THAT PEOPLE MIGHT SEE YOU AT THE GROCERY STORE AND YOU TALK TO THEM. SO I THINK THAT IS APPRECIATED. I, I THINK LEADERSHIP IS OFTENTIMES MODELING. YES, YOU COULD BE COMMAND AND CONTROL, BUT MODELING SORT OF BEHAVIOR AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO DC TRIGG FOR ALSO BEING PART OF OUR SAFE TASK FORCE. AND I KNOW THE DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH A VARIETY OF THOSE WINNERS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, GRASSROOTS IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO STOP, PARTICULARLY GUN VIOLENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. SO THAT'S APPRECIATED. WORKING IN PART WITH OUR OUR PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS, INCLUDING OPA. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WANTED TO BRING UP ANOTHER ITEM THAT I DIDN'T SEE ON THE TIMELINE, WHICH I THINK WAS ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT MOMENT FOR THIS HISTORY WAS AROUND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY ORDINANCES. AND I THINK WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THOSE IN 2022, BUT THEN WE APPROVED THOSE IN 2023. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, WAS A TIME WE WERE EXPERIENCING A NUMBER OF CALLS. A LOT OF TIMES WE WOULD GET CALLS INTO OUR OFFICES ABOUT TRESPASSING CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, AND THEN BUSINESS OWNERS GETTING FRUSTRATED BECAUSE OF THE PERSON WASN'T THERE. THEY COULDN'T MOVE. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NEED TO GO INTO ALL THE STEPS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WAS A COLLECTIVE TIME. I KNOW DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY AND OUR CITY ATTORNEY WORKED AGAIN TO HOW COULD WE REFINE THE LANGUAGE. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ENDED UP SORT OF IN THE MIDDLE, BUT I KNOW WE WERE REALLY TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT PUTTING SO MUCH ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THAT WE COULD BUILD SOME MORE RELATIONSHIPS. BUT AGAIN, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO LIKE THE BINS AT MEL TROTTER, CONNECTING TO OTHER THINGS LIKE THE CO-RESPONSE MODEL. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT BECAUSE I KNOW DURING THAT TIME THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF INFORMATION AND THE EXECUTION OF THAT. I KNOW MISS BEHRENS, YOU WORKED ON THAT TOO. SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SOME, LIKE YOU SAID, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ALWAYS THOUGHT OF. FOR ME, THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT STICKS OUT TO ME IS THE, THE, THE CIVILIANIZATION WORK. SO WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE, THAT WAS A BIG DISCUSSION POINT. AND I THINK WE WEREN'T AT THE POINT WHERE WE

[00:55:01]

ARE NOW. SO I WANT TO THANK THE DEPARTMENT FOR THAT WORK. IT CERTAINLY HELPED ON OUR FOIA APPEALS BOARD. AND JUST THAT FOIA APPEALS PROCESS HAS GOTTEN GREATLY REDUCED. AND SO WHEN WE CONNECT IN THAT WAY, OKAY, I WANT TO SAY TWO MORE THINGS. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE SUPPORT ON THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PIECES, RECOGNIZING WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR VICTIMS, BUT ALSO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR THE FAMILY AS A WHOLE. AND I KNOW, LIKE PUERTAS, ABIERTAS AND SOME OF OTHER PARTNERS ARE ALSO TRYING TO DO MORE OF THAT WORK, OF HOW DOES THE FAMILY COME BACK TOGETHER, EVEN WITH A FAMILY MEMBER BEING THE PERPETRATOR AND, YOU KNOW, MOM OR WHOEVER MIGHT BE, HOW DO THEY TRY TO HAVE SOME RECONCILIATION, WHICH I, YOU KNOW, IS VERY HARD. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT WAS I KNOW THAT WAS A COMMITMENT MANY OF US HAD ON THAT. AND THEN JUST PERSONALLY, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, JUST FOR YOU AND THE DEPARTMENT AND FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO AREN'T HERE ANYMORE ON SOME OF THE WORST DAYS OF MY LIFE, HEARING THAT MY COUSIN DIED, DC RIFENBURG CALLED ME TO TELL ME THAT. AND WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS ASSAULTED AND I THINK THAT IS THIS COMMENT THAT YOU HAVE AT THE BEGINNING. EXCUSE ME ABOUT.

HEROIC AND HARMFUL. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT I'VE BEEN ON THE SIDE. I THINK I'VE TOLD THE STORY WHERE I WAS ACCUSED OF A CRIME WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG, AND IT WAS VERY SCARY. AND, YOU KNOW, IT ALL WORKED OUT IN THE END. THERE'S NOT AN ENVELOPE SEALED IN MY COMMISSION FILE THAT SAYS BECAUSE I WASN'T CONVICTED OF A CRIME, BUT I COULD HAVE BEEN IF I DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO AN ATTORNEY. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT PUSH AND PULL IN A LOT OF THINGS PLAY OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BUT I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE ESPECIALLY TO THE DETECTIVES THAT WORKED THAT ARE STILL WORKING ON THAT CASE AND THAT WORKED ON THAT CASE, I THINK SOMETIMES UNTIL YOU NEED SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THE THINGS THAT GO INTO IT. AND SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT ARE OUT THERE WHO MIGHT NOT HEAR THOSE THANK YOUS. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO RECOGNIZING THE HISTORY THAT EXISTS WHEN WE GET CALLS FROM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY AND WONDERING ABOUT THINGS. I THINK MOST OF US HAVE HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH THE JUJITSU PRACTICES, SOME OF US BETTER THAN OTHERS. BUT I THINK I THINK THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST IN SOME OF THE RECENT TIMES, IS LIKE SEEING SOME OF THAT AND THEN SEEING THINGS, BUT ALSO REMEMBERING YOU MIGHT NOT BE SEEING EVERYTHING FROM THE MOMENT SOMETHING STARTS TO THE MOMENT SOMETHING ENDS. AND SO I THINK THAT'S BEEN THE MOST COMPELLING PIECE. AND IF THIS QUITE HONESTLY, THIS STORY OF WHERE WE WERE IN 2020 TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY SHOULD BE VERY PROUD, SHOULD BE VERY, VERY PROUD. I'M VERY PROUD. I ALSO THINK, LIKE WHEN WE HAVE PRIDE, WE ALWAYS SAY LIKE, WHAT DO WE DO MORE OR DIFFERENT OR BETTER? I THINK RECRUITMENT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE PIECES. AND I KNOW, LIKE MYSELF AND SOME OF MY PAST COLLEAGUES THAT AREN'T HERE ANYMORE, REALLY PUSHING ON GRCC TO SO TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. SO I'M RAMBLING A LITTLE BIT, BUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK A VERY IT WAS HARD TO WATCH THAT VIDEO OF THAT YOUNG BABY. AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE ONLY BABY THAT AN OFFICER HAS SAVED. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME MAY SAY IS THIS PROPAGANDA? I JUST HAVE TO SAY, I THINK IT'S I THINK WE DO NEED TO TELL MORE OF THE STORIES. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE MORE OF THOSE STORIES. I THINK THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH OPA, FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THEIR RIGHTS AND WHAT ARE THE PIECES IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PIECE. SO I'D LOVE, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT CONTINUES TO FIT IN. SO WE UNDERSTAND WHEN WE GO INTO A SITUATION. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE. SO THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THIS UPDATE. CITY MANAGER. I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE NEW MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. BUT THIS IS I THINK FOR A LONG TIME WE WERE KIND OF KNOCKING. IT WAS A LITTLE QUIET FOR THE LAST YEAR. AND THEN I THINK THE SPRING CAME, CAME KIND OF ROARING IN. AND THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AGAIN WITH LIKE SOME YOUNG PEOPLE AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. SO I THINK THIS IS A REMINDER TO ALL OF US, LIKE, NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED TO TELL US, BUT WE CAN ALSO BLESS YOU. WE CAN ALSO COME TO YOU AND ASK SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. I KNOW IN THE PAST WE'VE DONE, YOU KNOW, A TOUR OF OUR OF OUR DIFFERENT SERVICE AREAS, AND THAT WAS REALLY BENEFICIAL. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE KIND OF WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE FROM NUISANCE NUISANCE PIECES TO SPEEDING TO, YOU KNOW, VIOLENT CRIMES. SO I HOPE WE CAN ENGAGE IN THAT TOO, IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER? KNIGHT? COMMISSIONER SASSY SUMMED UP A WHOLE LOT OF IT UP FOR US, BUT THANK YOU FOR THIS. I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THIS. I KNOW I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME PEOPLE AS OF RECENT AND JUST, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY. IF THERE'S ONE THING WRONG, EVERYBODY GETS LOOKED AT THE SAME WAY, RIGHT? AND WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ON HOW WE PUT EVERYBODY IN A CERTAIN BOX. I, FOR ONE, HAVE SEEN THE CHANGES IN OUR LEADERSHIP OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED IN OUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. IS

[01:00:03]

EVERYTHING PERFECT? NO, NOTHING'S ALWAYS PERFECT. BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB. AND I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE WE FORGET THE CAREER CHOICES THAT PEOPLE MAKE. AND WITH THOSE CAREER CHOICES, THERE'S ALWAYS HARD PIECES. TO THOSE. IT'S NEVER A PERFECT THING. BUT YOU ALL HAVE STEPPED INTO A SPACE WHERE YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO FACE ADVERSITY, LIKE ALL THE TIME. EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HELPING AND SAVING A LIFE, YOUR DAY WAKES UP AND YOU DEAL WITH ADVERSITY. THAT'S WHAT IT IS. AND I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE FORGET OR DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PARTICULAR JOB LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT SKILL SETS IN, IN SPACES THAT WE ARE GIFTED OR CALLED TO. AND WITH THOSE CALLINGS, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH IT. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING A NUMBER OF LITTLE BLACK AND BROWN GIRLS DOWN TO THE STATION A COUPLE WEEKS AGO TO SEE WHAT A CAREER OR A FUTURE COULD LOOK LIKE FOR THEM, AND TO SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF IT AND MEET PEOPLE AND SEE THEIR HUMANITY. AND IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING THAT ONE OF THE YOUNG GIRLS IN THAT DAY WROTE IN HER JOURNAL THAT HER GOAL FOR THAT DAY WAS TO GET FIVE HUGS FROM FIVE POLICE OFFICERS, AND SHE MADE THAT HER GOAL, AND THEY MADE THAT HAPPEN FOR HER. BUT FOR THEM TO SEE THAT THEY THEY'RE JUST REGULAR PEOPLE. THAT'S JUST THE UNIFORM THAT THEY PUT ON FOR THE DAY, AND THAT'S THE ROLE THAT THEY HAVE TO PLAY. AND SO BEING ABLE TO SHOW THE HUMANITY PIECE OF WHAT YOU ALL DO IN COMMUNITY AND IN KNOWING THAT YOU ARE STILL A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. AND I APPRECIATE THE PEOPLE WHO ACCEPT MY TEXT MESSAGES EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS. BECAUSE WHEN I STARTED IN THIS POSITION, I REMEMBER SOMEONE SAYING TO ME, THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER SIDE, RIGHT THERE SHE IS. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE DOING THAT BECAUSE IT HELPS US BRING REALITY AND TRUTH TO THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE EVERY DAY, EVEN THOUGH IN THEIR SITUATION IT MAY SEE OR FEEL LIKE SOMETHING ELSE, WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING THAT TRANSPARENCY AND THAT TRUTH TO THEM, TO HELP THEM SEE THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE AND THE WHOLE TEAM, AND CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD AND HOW WE CAN JUST CONTINUE TO DO THINGS BETTER IN OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE LOVE AND SERVE. MR. BELICHICK, THANK YOU CHIEF. REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. AND EVERYONE ON THE ON THE OFFICERS HERE AND ELSEWHERE. MY QUESTION, IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, IS HOW CULTURAL COMPETENCY IS INCORPORATED INTO YOUR TRAINING AND OR AREAS. YOU MIGHT SEE THAT BEING MORE APPROPRIATE TO GROW IN. THAT'S A THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. IS THAT TOO TRICKY FOR YOU ALL YOU. THE CURRENT ROLE IS YOU HAVE TO COME TO YOU GOT TO COME UP HERE. AND WE CERTAINLY PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR TRAINING AND DOING BETTER. AND I KNOW I THINK IMPLICIT BIAS TRAINING WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE CURRICULUM PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL. AND CULTURAL COMPETENCY CERTAINLY IS SOMETHING THAT THAT WE OBTAIN THROUGHOUT OUR CAREERS AS WE ARE ON THE STREET. BUT CAN YOU SPEAK AT ALL TO THE RECRUITS AS FAR AS HOW MUCH IT'S TALKED ABOUT OR THE OR ANYTHING? NO PRESSURE. RIGHT? FROM A CULTURAL COMPETENCY STANDPOINT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE COVERED IN MANDATORY TRAININGS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OVER THE YEARS, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COVER DURING OUR IN-HOUSE TRAINING. SO ALL NEW OFFICERS THAT GET HIRED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHETHER THEY COME STRAIGHT FROM THE ACADEMY OR THEY'RE A LATERAL COMING FROM ANOTHER AGENCY, THEY GO THROUGH OUR OUR OWN EIGHT WEEK IN-HOUSE TRAINING BEFORE THEY EVER EVEN HIT THE STREET. AND THEN, OF COURSE, ONCE THEY HIT THE STREET, THERE'S ANOTHER 16 WEEKS OF TRAINING WITH THE FIELD TRAINING OFFICER. DURING THAT EIGHT WEEK TIME. WE OBVIOUSLY COVER A LOT OF POLICY AND PROCEDURES AND A LOT OF THE CULTURAL COMPETENCY MAYBE THAT YOU SPEAK OF WOULD BE COVERED IN OUR POLICY IN TERMS OF WHAT'S COVERED EARLIER, IN TERMS OF THE WAY WE TREAT PEOPLE. IT'S COVERED IN OUR POLICY AND OUR USE OF FORCE POLICY. AND IN TERMS OF ALSO ETHICS TRAINING. SO WE HAVE ETHICS TRAINING INSTRUCTORS THAT COME IN, SPEAK TO THEM ABOUT HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE, HOW REGARDLESS OF RACE, RELIGION, COLOR, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, EVERYBODY IS THE SAME. CORRECT. AND THEN WHEN WE GET INTO OUR ROLE PLAYS, WE HAVE ALL OF OUR TRAINING IS VERY SCENARIO BASED. AND SO OFTENTIMES WE'LL, WE'LL USE DIFFERENT ROLE PLAYERS, DIFFERENT INSTRUCTORS FROM THE DEPARTMENT WHO ARE DIFFERENT RACES, DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES, AND THROW SOME OF THOSE SCENARIOS IN TO PUT THE RECRUITS INTO A SCENARIO, A SITUATION WHERE THEY'RE DEALING WITH SOMEBODY WHO MAYBE THEY'RE NOT. THEY COME FROM A BACKGROUND, WHETHER OR NOT USED TO DEALING WITH SOMEBODY FROM THAT RACE OR WHATEVER. WE HAVE SOME VERY GOOD INSTRUCTORS WHO CAN REALLY. ACT VERY, VERY WELL THROUGH THEIR EXPERIENCES AND WORKING THROUGH THE CITY. YOU NAME IT, YOU KNOW, USE YOUR

[01:05:05]

IMAGINATION. YOU CAN ANY KIND OF SCENARIO YOU CAN THINK OF, WE THROW OUT THESE RECRUITS. SO WE DO FOCUS ON THAT A LOT. WE GO OUT, WE GIVE THEM TOURS AROUND THE CITY WHILE THEY'RE STILL DOING THAT DURING THE IN-HOUSE TIME, SHOWING THEM THE VARIOUS PORTIONS OF THE CITY. ALL BOTH GO THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT WARDS, POINTING OUT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, DIFFERENT HOTSPOTS AND TALKING ABOUT ALL THAT KIND OF THING. SO IN TERMS OF ONGOING TRAINING, THAT'S KIND OF BUILT INTO ALL OF OUR TRAINING ALL THE TIME, BECAUSE WE'RE SO SCENARIO BASED AND ALL OF OUR TRAINING FOR THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT. THIS YEAR, WE ARE UP TO 11 MANDATORY TRAININGS FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. SO ALMOST ONE MANDATORY TRAINING A MONTH THAT EVERYBODY IN THE ENTIRE AGENCY HAS TO GO THROUGH. SO WE ARE TRAINING NONSTOP. AND THAT'S ASIDE FROM AND IN ADDITION TO THE THREE RECRUIT CLASSES THAT WE RUN A YEAR, WHICH ARE AGAIN EIGHT WEEKS AT A TIME, PLUS THEIR FIELD TRAINING PROCESS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. APPRECIATE YOU, COMMISSIONER ROBINSON. I JUST SAY I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THE TRAINING CULTURE, BUT I INHERITED A GREAT TRAINING CULTURE. OBVIOUSLY WE'VE IMPROVED THE TRAINING, BUT WHEN I STARTED, I MOVED FROM BROOKLYN TO CHICAGO WHEN I FIRST STARTED AS A POLICE OFFICER, AND I LEFT THE ACADEMIC WORLD WHERE I WAS IN SCHOOL FOR SEVEN YEARS. AND MY FIRST FULL TIME ASSIGNMENT IN CHICAGO WAS THE ROBERT TAYLOR HOMES ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND THERE WAS NO CULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING THAT I WENT THROUGH THAT PREPARED ME FOR THIS WORLD THAT I HAD. I WAS NOT A PART OF OUT ON THE EAST COAST. IT WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED. AND IN THE UNITED STATES, AND I JUST LEARNED BY DOING AND BY BEING A PART OF IT. BUT SO RECOGNIZING THAT AND BEING VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY IMPRESSED THAT I INHERITED AND THAT WE BUILT ON. THANKS, COMMISSIONER ROBINSON. YEAH. THANKS, MAYOR. JUST SUPER QUICK. I ECHO ALL THE SENTIMENTS THAT WERE RELAYED BY MY COLLEAGUES HERE. I'LL PUT IT ON THE RECORD. THE FIRST TIME I ALMOST TEARED UP ON THE DAIS WAS HEARING ABOUT FIVE LITTLE GIRLS GETTING HUGS FROM POLICE OFFICERS. SO THAT WAS GREAT. ONE OTHER THING TOO, IN CASE YOU WANTED TO GIVE A PLUG. I KNOW AT PUBLIC SAFETY, WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE COMMUNITY INFORMED TRAINING PIECE AS WELL BY OPA. SO I KNOW MANY OF THESE PEOPLE WON'T BE THERE AT THAT, BUT JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY QUICK PLUG YOU WANTED TO GIVE, OR JUST KIND OF A TEASER LEADING UP TO THAT MEETING TO WELL, I DON'T WANT TO STEAL BRANDON'S THUNDER, BUT BUT THE WHOLE IDEA OF COMMUNITY AND FOREIGN TRAINING IS, YOU KNOW, A CITY'S ENTITLED TO BE POLICED, HOW THE CITY WANTS TO BE POLICED. AND IT'S ENTITLED TO HAVE ITS POLICE OFFICERS TRAINED IN WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE CITY. SO WE'VE HAD OR I'LL JUST GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE, A GROUP ADVOCATING FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY SAID, HEY, WE THINK THAT YOU GUYS CAN DO BETTER BOTH POLICY AND TRAINING AND INVITED THEM IN. AND THROUGH OBA'S HELP, THEY PUT IT TOGETHER AND THEY WE HAVE A BRAND NEW POLICY THAT WAS WRITTEN BY THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY, WHICH NOW WE TRAIN TO OUR POLICE OFFICERS TOO. SO THAT EXPANDS. ANY ANYBODY ELSE? AND BRANDON HAS A PROCESS IN PLACE. I WON'T SPEAK TO IT, BUT IF THE CITY WANTS US TO LEARN SOMETHING, WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO INFORM OUR TRAINING. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. THANKS. I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME COMMENTS ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE PUBLIC INPUT ON WHAT TYPES OF TRAININGS ARE PROVIDED. AND SO I KNOW THAT'S A RESOURCE.

SOMEONE I THINK EVEN IN THE IN THE SLIDE DECK, THERE WAS A QUOTE SAYING, I WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT THIS, THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME PARTICIPATE. SO JUST FIGURED THAT THAT WAS THAT WAS WORTH MENTIONING AS WELL TOO. JUST SINCE IT'S FRONT OF MIND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.

THANKS, COMMISSIONER PURDUE. THANKS, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CHIEF AND LEADERSHIP FOR BEING HERE.

THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE. REALLY APPRECIATE HOW YOU FRAMED IT AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE OVERVIEW OF ALL THE DELIBERATE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO IMPROVE HOW WE SERVICE AND SHOW UP IN COMMUNITY. SO KUDOS TO YOU ALL IN THAT WAY. I AM, YOU KNOW, AMONGST ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT YOU HIGHLIGHTED FOR PROGRESS WHEN I CAME INTO COMMISSION, THE CHANGES IN OVERSIGHT AND BEING THE FIRST CITY IN THE STATE TO HAVE OVERSIGHT EMBEDDED INTO OUR CONTRACTS, THAT WAS SUCH A HUGE WIN THAT WE DIDN'T SPEND ENOUGH TIME CELEBRATING AND GETTING THE WORD OUT FOR. NOT THAT. THAT'S ALL. ON YOU, BUT.

[01:10:05]

I APPRECIATE YOU HIGHLIGHTING THAT AND SO, SO MUCH ELSE. I DO THINK LONG TERM AND WHAT'S REALLY GOING TO BENEFIT THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT ENTER THEIR COURTROOM. SO THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING HAS BEEN IMPORTANT FOR BETTER OUTCOMES FOR EVERYBODY. YEAH, I SERVE ON THE 61ST DISTRICT COURT. THAT I THINK WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT I HOPE WE CAN SAY EXPLICITLY IS JUST THAT THAT THE CRISIS IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE, UH, THAT IS NON-POLICE, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COSTS. I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT UM FOR IN IN THE PAST TIME, THE LAST TIME YOU CAME HERE, UM, AND NETWORK 180 WAS WITH YOU, BUT I, I JUST WANT TO UNDERSCOR, ESPECIALLY AS OUR CITY GROWS, UM, AND AS A PUBLIC SAFETY BECOMES MORE AND MORE COMPLEX AND NUANCED, UM, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO INVESTIGATE AND RAMP UP EFFORTS IN IN THAT. IN THAT WAY AND FOR YOU ALL UP TO DO THINGS THAT ARE MORE UH IN THE SQUARE WHEELHOUSE OF, OF YOUR TRADING AND YOUR SERVICE. UM, LAST QUESTION FOR YOU, UM, YOU DID SAY, UH, LOOKING AHEAD, UH, YOU WERE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, LEGAL AND POLICY PRIORITIES, UM, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW, I, I'M CURIOUS IF YOU KNOW, UM, IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE DEPARTMENT, HOW MANY OF UH YOUR LEADERS LIVE IN THE CITY OR HOW MANY OF THE FOLKS IN THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE LIVE IN THE CITY AND DO YOU HAVE? ANY PLANS OF MAKING THAT A PRIORITY OF TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS LIVE, PLAY, LIKE SPEND TIME NOT ON THE CLOCK IN THE CITY AND COMMUNITY WITH RESIDENTS. WELL, UH, THE, THE LEADERS IN HERE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY LIVE IN THE CITY, BUT THEY MIGHT AS WELL LIVE IN THE CITY FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I FORCE THEM TO, TO SPEND AT WORK, UM, BUT SO I, I, UH, OBVIOUSLY CAME UP TO THE CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, IT IS STILL LEGAL TO REQUIRE OFFICERS TO LIVE WITHIN CITY LIMITS. SO MY WORLD THERE WAS EVERY POLICE OFFICER LIVED IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND I SEE THE BENEFIT OF THAT, IT'S UM OBVIOUSLY BECOME MORE FAMILIAR, YOU SEE, IT MADE FROM AN OUTSIDER'S VIEW MAY, MAY FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A, A BETTER, BETTER STAKE IN THE COMMUNITY.

NOW, I ALSO SEE THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THAT, THE FACT THAT I LIKE SOME OF YOU HAVE HAD PROTESTERS AT MY HOUSE HAVE GET DEATH THREAT. THAT'S OCCASIONALLY AT MY HOUSE, UM, AND OFTENTIMES ACCOSTED ON THE STREET BY INDIVIDUALS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WHO I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SPEAK TO, AND SO THERE ARE POLICE CHIEFS ACROSS WEST MICHIGAN WHO WOULD SAY THEY WOULD ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, LIVE IN THE CITY FOR GRAND RAPIDS, I THINK IT'S KIND OF A, IT, IT KIND OF COMES WITH THE JOB, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IN TALKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER WHEN HE INTERVIEWED FOR ME AT THIS JOB, I SAID I COULDN'T SEE IT ANY OTHER WAY, AS THE POLICE CHIEF, BUT I DO SEE BOTH SIDES WHERE IT COMES TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS, SO. HAVING SAID THAT, FROM A MANAGER'S POINT OF VIEW, IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER TO FOLLOW UP MY EMPLOYEES TO. UH, DID LIVE IN THE CITY, SO IT'S SO I GET, I GET YOUR POINT AND I WANT TO SAY I'M, I'M TEAM LIKE LET'S HAVE, HAVE EVERYBODY LIVE AND WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OFFICERS WHO, OFFICERS WHO DO LIVE HERE, AND WE HAVE A FEW OFFICERS WHO I'M SURE MANY OF YOU ON THIS PANEL KNOW WHO GREW UP HERE AND STILL ARE HEAVILY INVESTED IN THEIR FAMILIES ARE STILL HERE AND THEY COULD, UM, SO, UH, BUT, BUT I GET IT FROM MY CHICAGO POINT OF VIEW, YEAH, I WISH, I WISH WE COULD DRAW A LINE AND SAY EVERYBODY LIVE HERE. NOW ONE OTHER CURVEBALL THAT IS RECRUITING, UH, BECAUSE OF HOUSING. HOUSING PRICES, ETC. THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO BUY CHEAPER HOUSES UH IF YOU GO JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY. I KNOW THAT MYSELF WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR, FOR HOUSING HERE, SO IT'S EASIER FOR ME TO GET THOSE. YOU KNOW, YOUNG PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PURCHASE THEIR OWN HOUSE WHO ARE WILLING TO, OK, WE'LL, WE'LL COMMUTE TO GRAND RAPIDS, SO IT'S TOUGH FROM A PURE MANAGER POINT OF VIEW, I WOULD LOVE FOR EVERYBODY TO LIVE, LIVE HERE. YOU SAID YOU D. I'M CURIOUS, DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MANY FOLKS ON 25% OF THE DEPARTMENT, MAYBE 30%. YEAH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. SO UM THANK YOU, CHIEF, AND UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THE RISK OF STAYING SOMETHING WE ALL PROBABLY KNOW, UM, IT'S ON US TO PARTNER WITH UM THE POLICE, US, THE COMMISSION, UM, ON THINGS WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD ON. SO SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO COST MONEY. UM, I KNOW CHIEF, YOU'RE COMMITTED TO THE CALL RESPONSE TEAM, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT THAT, IT'S. DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO REALIZE YOU'RE POLICING 24/7, UH, 365 AND OUR CO-RESPONSE EFFORTS NOT FULLY STAFFED FOR UH TO MEET THAT DEMAND YET, AND BUT THAT'S PARTLY GOING TO BE A FUNDING THING AND, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S NOT US, NOT YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THAT. I JUST WANT TO FLAG IT FOR MY COLLEAGUES, U, SIMILARLY, I, I, I REALLY ENJOYED WHAT COMMISSIONER PURDUE BROUGHT UP THAT CONVERSATION WHILE LIVING IN THE CITY AND UH YOU AND I BOTH KNOW. AND THE COMMISSIONERS KNOW THERE WAS A SUPREME MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT CASE THAT SAID YOU CAN'T REQUIRE

[01:15:04]

OFFICERS TO LIVE IN THE CITY, BUT THERE'S NO PROHIBITION ON US INCENTIVIZING IT, AND SO I PERSONALLY WOULD WELCOME A CONVERSATION ABOUT SOME STRUCTURED INCENTIVES THAT WOULD REWARD OFFICERS WHO LIVED IN THE CITY FINANCIALLY BECAUSE FRANKL, THERE ARE COSTS, BUT THERE ARE HUGE BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE COMMUNITY FEELING LIKE THE POLICE ARE US, AND THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SLEEP IN THE SAME CITY WE SLEEP IN. AND SO I'M CERTAINLY GRATEFUL TO TH, TO THE OFFICERS WHO, WHO HAVE MADE THAT COMMITMENT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S, UH, THE PROBLEM WITH THE KIND OF SERVICE THAT, THAT YOU DO AND THAT WE DO IS UH VERY MUCH BEING IN THE PUBLIC EYE AND UM SOMETIMES DRAWING, SOMETIMES BEING A LIGHTNING ROD, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT MAKES IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING I WOULD WANNA, I WOULDN'T WANT TO, I, I'M, IN OTHER WORDS, I'M FINE WITH THE STATE OF THE LAW, UM, BUT I WOULD CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE. UM, LEANING INTO REWARDING THE OFFICERS WHO DO MAKE A CHOICE TO LIVE IN THE CITY IN SOME FASHION, AND THAT'S A, THEY CAN BE A LONG RANGE DISCUSSION, UM, AND OF COURSE EVERYTHING TAKES, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCENTIVES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MONEY, AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BUDGET AND WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE OUR CITY MANAGERS HAD EXPLODE BUT BUT I BUT I DO WANT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK THAT UM I PERSONALLY THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, SLEEPING IN THE CITY LIMITS HAS GOT OBVIOUS BENEFITS FOR EVERYBODY WHO LIVES IN THE CITY, SO OUR OFFICERS WHO ARE THE OFFICERS KNOW WHO LIVE IN THE CITY, LIKE PEOPLE ON THEIR BLOCK KNOW THAT THEY'RE THERE. UM, THEY KNOW, I MEAN, I'M, I WAS ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN UH OFFICER TULLY USED TO STOP BY AND VISIT HIS MOM ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME, UH, CAUSE HE WAS ON MY BLOCK THEN. UH, HE'S LEFT THE DEPARTMENT SINCE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT'S I, I, I WOULD WELCOME THAT CONVERSATION. UM, THE OTHER POINT I WANTED TO MAKE BRIEFLY IS UM WE TALK ABOUT UH YOU, YOU MENTIONED BRIEFLY THE UH MACRO LARGE. DECLINE IN STAFFING SINCE THE GREAT RECESSION AND IF WE LOOK AT COMPARABLE CITIES, UH, I THINK THAT LANSING'S UH NUMBER OF OFFICERS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS, UH, THEY HAVE A HIGHER NUMBER OF OFFICERS TO POPULATION THAT RATIOS HIGHER THAN OURS, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER STATES, UH, STAFFING LEVELS ARE MUCH HIGHER.

I KNOW OHIO HAS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE OFFICERS PER POPULATION LEVEL, AND I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION TO HAVE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT GOOD THINGS CAN WE DO IN THE FUTURE. SO YOU MENTIONED BRIEFLY AND I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT UM COMMUNITY POLICING, AND YOU DIDN'T EXACTLY USE THAT TERM, BUT UM THE INTUITION IS IF WE HAVE OFFICERS WHO ARE ABLE TO BE OUT AND REALLY GRANULARLY ENGAGING IN THE COMMUNITY BEFORE UH CRISES, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO BE BETTER EQUIPPED AND HAVE MORE TOOLS AND HAVE JUST A, A BIGGER BASKET OF OPTIONS WHEN THERE IS A CRISIS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, IF THEY REALLY KNOW THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IF THERE ARE NEEDS THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN A BETTER. TO HEAR THEM. UM, SO I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND IT'S A VALUE OF YOURS, BUT IF WE STRIP OUR POLICE FORCE DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S, YOU KNOW, A BARE BARE MINIMUM OF STAFFING. YOU'RE GOING TO BE RESPONDING TO 911 CALLS AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING TRIAGE AND I ALWAYS SAY IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE HAVING A HOSPITAL AND DECIDING TO ONLY HAVE AN EMERGENCY ROOM. WE COULD DO THAT, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET GREAT RESULTS, UH, MEDICALL, SO, UM, I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT OUR COMMITMENT TO INCREASING STAFFING LEVELS IS GOING TO BE PART OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET TO COMMUNITY POLICING, BUT IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT. YEAH, I GUESS IT'S A UM IT'S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND IF THE COMMUNITY SO UH ALL RIGHT, SO, UH I MENTIONED LOW STAFFING AT 261. I MENTIONED IN THE POWERPOINT ABOUT HOW WE HAD, WE USED TO HAVE 4 OFFICERS ASSIGNED FULL TIME TO THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM. WE HAD TO REMOVE THOSE OFFICERS JUST SIMPLY TO RESPOND TO 911 CALLS BECAUSE WE SAW THE TIME PEOPLE WERE CALLING 911 AND IT WAS TAKING 15 MINUTES FOR, FOR OFFICERS TO RESPOND THE SAME WITH UH OUR FOOTPRINT AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. I'M STILL PRESIDENT OF, OF THE BOARD OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS. WE, WE LOVE TO SUPPORT THEM, BUT WE HAD 3 FULL-TIME OFFICERS ASSIGNED THAT WE HAD TO PULL THOSE BACK AS WELL, JUST TO ANSWER THOSE CALLS, BUT DO YOU SEE THE VALUE IN THE COMMUNITY OFFICERS WHO CAN BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND HAVE AN OUT OF PREVENTION IS WHAT WHATEVER THAT THAT SAYING IS, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS FACE TO FACE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY OFFICERS OF PAST HAVE HAD, THE COMMUNITY HAS HAD THEIR DIRECT PHONE NUMBER AND IF THEY CAN GET A HEADS UP THAT THERE'S THIS ISSUE THAT'S BREWING, IF WE CAN ADDRESS IT BEFORE IT BECOMES A PROBLEM. IF WE CAN MAINTAIN UH UH MAKE THOSE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS SO THAT WHEN THERE'S A CRISIS, SOMETHING, SOMETHING BLOWING UP THAT GETS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, HEY, THIS IS A PROBLEM. THEY CAN SAY, WELL, I KNOW ERIC WINSTROM, HE'S OUR COMMUNITY OFFICER. LET ME GET HIS PERSPECTIVE. LET, LET ME TALK TO HIM. IT JUST PAYS OFF A TON OF BENEFITS. IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF DO WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HAVE THEM AND I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE JUST ABOUT THERE, UM, OUR STAFFING PROJECTIONS, I THINK, UH, COME OCTOBER PUTS US, WE COULD BE OVER THE, THE 300 MARK, COME, U,

[01:20:06]

FEBRUARY, WE COULD BE WELL OVER THE 300 MARK, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE UH COME APRIL OR, OR MAY WHENEVER THE AMPHITHEATER OPENS IS THE REAL PANIC BUTTON OF ARE WE, ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THE JOB JUST THE BASIC JOB, AND I THINK UM THIS HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT I'VE HAD THE ENTIRE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE IS, IS THE RECRUITING AND THE STAFFING AND WE'VE, WE'VE GONE 180 DEGREES. WE'RE HITTING OUR MARKS AND WE'RE IN A POSITION AND WITH THE COMMISSION SUPPORT, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO ADD 5 OR 10 COMMUNITY OFFICERS AS EARLY AS THIS FALL. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CHIEF. UM THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND FOR ALL OF YOUR ENGAGEMENT. MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SINCE UH WE HAVE ALL THE OFFICERS THAT ARE HERE TODAY IN THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT UH, INCENTIVES, THOSE, UH, WE, WE DO HAVE, UM, ALREADY INCENTIVES FOR ALL OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES TO LIVE IN A CITY IN TERMS OF CLOSING COSTS, HOUSING ASSISTANCE, SO HAPPY TO LOOK AT THAT, BUT UH I THINK YOU MADE A LOT OF PEOPLE SMILE. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN NEGOTIATIONS NOW, SO ANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS TAKE PLACE AT THE TABLE AS WELL AS ANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT STAFFING WILL BE PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS. THANK YOU. UH, AND THANK YOU, UH, EVERYONE FROM STAFF FOR COMING, UH, COMMAND STAFF, I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU BEING HERE AND UH LOVE TO KEEP THE DISCUSSION GOING. I KNOW THE CHIEF GETS THE MICROPHONE ALMOST ALL THE TIME, BUT, UH, LOVE TO

[6. Motion to go into closed session.]

CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL OF YOU TOO. UM, SO IF I COULD, I THINK THAT MOVES US TO, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT MOVEMENT CLOSED SESSION AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, UH, SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK OUT AND FINISH OUR PUBLIC BUSINESS. COULD I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. OK, UH, CITY CLERK, IF YOU COULD CALL THE COMMISSIONER KILGORE. OH, I'M SORRY, I HAVE TO SAY WHY. I REQUEST THAT WE MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION FOR PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND RECEIVING A LEGAL OPINION FROM OUR CITY ATTORNEY. MR. KILGORE? YES, MR. KNIGHT. ROBIN.

YES. ASASI, MR. PURDUE. YES, MRS. BELCHICK MARY LE GRANDE, YES, AND THAT WILL BE DOWN IN THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICES RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE WAITING FOR US TO TAKE ACTION ON 2 AND 3. WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK AND FINISH OUR CLOSED SESSION AFTER THIS, AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL TAKE A SEPARATE VOTE SINCE WE ALREADY VOTED TO GO OUT INTO CLOSED SESSION FOR TWO PURPOSES. SO

[2. Resolution approving collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Firefighters, Loal 366 for agreement covering period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028]

THAT BRINGS US TO RESOLUTION NUMBER 2, A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS FOR A PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 2025 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2028. DO I HEAR A MOTION? SOME OF. SPORT ALL RIGHT, UH, ANY DISCUSSION? HAVE UH, YES, IF YOU WANT TO GO OVER THAT FOR US. YES. SO ESSENTIALLY OUR FIRE CONTRACT, UM, WE HAVE A TENDED AGREEMENT FOR 11% OVER THE NEXT 3 YEARS, AND THAT'S BROUGHT IN AT 551. AND THEN WITH THAT ALSO WE HAVE THE WORKWEEK, EFFECTIVE AND UM JANUARY OF 2028 TO BE REDUCED FROM THE CURRENT 52.88 HOURS DOWN TO 50.4 OF A WORK WEEK. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE UM TWO ESSENTIALLY RAISED THE RETIREE HEALTHCARE SAVINGS ACCOUNT CONTRIBUTIONS, INCREASE THAT BY 500 TO BRING IT TO A TOTAL OF $2750 ANNUALLY FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS UNION. GREAT. SO, OBVIOUSLY, THANKS TO OUR BARGAINING TEAM FOR THIS, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE UNION HAS VOTED TO AGREE TO THIS IN PRINCIPLE, UM, AND SO WE'RE READY TO CLOSE, UH, NEGOTIATIONS AT THIS POINT, SO THANKS TO THE CHIEF AND ALL OF HIS TEAM FOR ENGAGING IN UH WHAT WAS I THINK A VERY PRODUCTIVE AND UH ANYWAY, I HAVEN'T VOTED YET, BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK, UM, UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OTHERWISE, I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE.

UM, DO WE NEED AN INDIVIDUAL VOTE ON THIS OR VOICE VOTE, OK. OK, THEN I WILL CALL FOR A VOTE.

[3. An ordinance to adjust the salaries and rates of compensation of certain employees of the City of Grand Rapids classified in class titles which are within the Grand Rapids Firefighters union, IAFF Local 366, to adopt a schedule of annual pay ranges for such employees, to provide for adjustments in such pay range; to provide for the adoption of rules prescribing the method of providing for increases and decreases in compensation within the pay ranges established by this ordinance, to provide for the regulation of other personnel matters and to repeal all ordinances in conflict herewith, said repeal to become effective as of July 1, 2025.]

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE, AYE, ALL POSED. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THAT BRINGS US TO THE NEXT PIECE OF UH ACTION WHICH IS THE ORDINANCE ADJUSTING SALARIES AND RAISE THE COMPENSATION FOR EMPLOYEES, CERTAIN CLASSIFIED TITLES IN THE GR UNION TO ADOPT ANNUAL RANGES FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES, UH, AND, UH, I SEE WE HAVE A STAFF IN UH COMING UP FO, SO YEAH, GREAT. THANK YOU. YEAH, I CAN JUST COMMENT THAT, UM, WELL, THIS, WE DO THIS SEPARATELY AS JUST RECOGNIZING THE WAGE INCREASES YOU'LL SEE IN THE ITEM, BUT AS FAR AS A BUDGET AMENDMENT, IF IT IS ABOVE WHAT WE BUDGETED, WE'LL PROBABLY HOLD ON DOING THE BUDGET AMENDMENT UNTIL WE GET A FEW MORE OF THESE

[01:25:04]

BARGAINING AGREEMENTS BEHIND US, SO DON'T EXPECT A BUDGET AMENDMENT TILL YOU KNOW, 2ND OF AUGUST OR THE 2ND MEETING OF SEPTEMBER, SOMEWHERE IN THERE. GREAT. SO IF ANYBODY OUT ON TV LAND GOT LOST, UM, NUMBER 3 IS ESSENTIALLY UH INSTANTIATING THE ITEM WE JUST VOTED ON BECAUSE WE JUST VOTED FOR PAY INCREASES FOR FOLKS AND THE FIREFIGHTERS. UM, SO, UH, AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE A MOTION AND SUPPORT ALL IN FAVOR. SAY HI. ALL POSED. MOTION CARRIES AND CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THESE TWO ITEMS. I TOO JUST WANNA ECHO. UH APPRECIATION FOR THE UH LABOR TEAMS BOTH ON MANAGEMENT SIDE AS WELL AS LABOR AND UH THIS SHOWS HOW WE CAN COLLECTIVELY WORK TOGETHER TO BETTER OUR COMMUNITY. THERE ARE SOME BIG THINGS THAT ARE PLANNED IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH UH NEW STATIONS THAT ARE OPENING A NEW TRAINING CENTER AND WITH THE GROWTH OF OUR CITY, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO HAVE THIS COMPONENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. SUPPORTED AND I APPRECIATE THE UH COLLABORATION THAT WE'VE HAD WITH LABOR, NOT ONLY IN THIS CONTRACT, UH, I SEE OUR BOTH PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENTS HERE. I APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP, BUT ALSO IN HELPING US WITH UH CAPITAL PROJECTS AND ADVOCATING FOR FUNDING FOR UH CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK. THANK YOU. AND I THINK THAT WILL MOVE US BACK INTO THE SECOND HALF OF CLOSED SESSION.

SO THANK YOU ALL AND THAT ENDS THE PUBLIC

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ITEMS

BRIEFINGS

Jul 29, 2025 Committee of the Whole Meeting

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ITEMS

BRIEFINGS

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