Jul 29, 2025 Public Safety Committee Meeting

[00:00:07]

PUBLIC SAFETY TO ORDER. AND THE FIRST THING I'M GOING TO DO IS EXPLAIN A TECHNICAL ODDITY, AND THAT IS THAT THREE OF US UP HERE ARE ELECTEDS. AND SO THERE'S A THERE'S SORT OF A BIFURCATED NATURE TO THIS COMMITTEE. AND THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE A FIRST ITEM UP, WHICH IS AN ACTION ITEM. AND YOU'RE ALL WELCOME TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A VOTE, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A VOTE OF THE THREE OF US WHO GOT ELECTED.

[1. Resolution scheduling a public hearing for August 12, 2025, to consider approval request of Parking Count Data Collection (Administrative Policy 15-03)]

[00:05:04]

THANKS, BRANDON. OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO EXACTLY WHAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT. WE WANT TO TALK TODAY ABOUT THE OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS AND THE DATA MANAGEMENT PROTOCOLS RELATED TO THE USE OF THIS TECHNOLOGY. AND THEN ALSO REALLY ELABORATE AND CLARIFY ON HOW PROPOSED ACTIVITIES WILL BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THAT SURVEILLANCE POLICY. AND THEN FINALLY, AGAIN, THAT REQUEST THAT YOU ALL SET A PUBLIC HEARING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS. I'M GOING TO TURN THIS OVER TO MAX. AND MAX IS ONE OF OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS AT MOBILE GR. YOU MAY SEE MAX TALKING A LOT AT THE MOBILE GR COMMISSION ABOUT THE DASH. HE TAKES CARE OF THE DATA AND OPERATIONAL PROGRAM THAT THE DASH IS YOUR DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR. AND HE'S ALSO BEEN HELPING OUT WITH THIS PARKING ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY, WHICH IS THE PROJECT WHERE WE'RE LOOKING TO USE SOME OF THIS TECHNOLOGY. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, JESSICA. THANK YOU. COMMITTEE.

SO THE BACKGROUND OF THIS PARKING INVESTMENT STRATEGY IS IT'S REALLY AN EFFORT TO GET OUR ARMS AROUND, PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE INVENTORY OF ALL THE PARKING THAT IS WITHIN OUR DOWNTOWN AREA, WHETHER THAT'S PUBLIC PARKING, PRIVATELY OWNED, RESTRICTED TO CERTAIN USERS, EVENT BASED PARKING, ETC. WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CAPACITY AND UTILIZATION OF THOSE FACILITIES SO WE CAN START TO PROJECT CURRENT DEMAND AS WELL AS FUTURE DEMAND IF AND WHEN LARGE TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECTS COME TO OUR DOWNTOWN. WE ALL AWARE THAT PARKING IS A VERY KEY COMPONENT OF THE DOWNTOWN ECOSYSTEM. THEY REQUIRE VERY LARGE INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN WITH WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF CONSIDERATION. AND OUR GOAL IS TO PRODUCE STRATEGIES TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A SUSTAINABLE PARKING SYSTEM. SO NEXT UP, I'LL GO THROUGH THE PROPOSED DATA COLLECTION METHODS FOR THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST. BEFORE YOU. TODAY, WE HAVE CONTRACTED WITH TWO CONSULTING FIRMS TO ASSIST US THROUGHOUT THIS PARKING INVESTMENT STRATEGY. THEIR NAMED AND QUANTIFY OUT OF DETROIT. THEY ARE PROPOSING TO HELP US COLLECT SOME OF OUR ON STREET PARKING UTILIZATION THROUGH OVERHEAD IMAGERY THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO DETERMINE PARKING CAPACITY, TOTAL UTILIZATION OF HOW MANY CARS ARE USING OUR ON STREET PARKING SPACES AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE DAY, DAYS OF THE WEEK, MONTHS OF THE YEAR, WHAT THAT TURNOVER IS AND HOW LONG FOLKS ARE STAYING IN THESE PARKING FACILITIES. THE PROPOSED TO USE SMALL UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS, I.E. DRONES DESIGNED AND OPTIMIZED FOR MAPPING PURPOSES.

THE IDEA IS THAT THESE DRONES WOULD FLY ABOUT 300 TO 400FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WITH HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGERY. TAKE PHOTOS OF THE SPACE BELOW THAT AERIAL IMAGERY WOULD BE COLLECTED KIND OF AT FOUR DIFFERENT PERIODS THROUGHOUT THE DAY OVER A 2 TO 3 WEEK PERIOD. AND THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS DATA THAT I WANT TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT IS THAT WE WON'T BE COLLECTING ANY IDENTIFIABLE FEATURES, SUCH AS LICENSE PLATES, VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS, BUMPER STICKERS, ETC. THESE WOULD BE THE TYPES. THIS WOULD BE THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE COLLECTED WITH A MANUAL COUNT, AND IT'S NOT NECESSARY WHEN DRONES ARE DEPLOYED IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE. BASICALLY WHAT THE DRONES WOULD BE COLLECTING IS THE VEHICLE COLOR AND POSITION WITHIN THE PARKING SPACE ITSELF. AND TO GET INTO DETAIL, THE COLOR WOULD JUST BE A CMYK CODE. IT'S MORE OF LIKE A COLOR, LIKE CODING CONVENTION TO JUST DETERMINE WHETHER IF THIS RED PIXEL IS PRESENT AT 8 A.M. AND IF THAT RED PIXEL IS STILL THERE AT NOON. THAT WAY YOU CAN TELL IF THERE'S A CAR PRESENT AND IF THERE'S BEEN TURNOVER, AND THAT PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR US WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO COLLECT A LOT OF, OF DATA, IT'LL ONLY BE USED FOR COUNTING OF CARS, THE NUMBER OF AVAILABLE PARKING SPACES, NUMBER OF VEHICLES IN A PARKING LOT ON PUBLIC STREETS, AND DETERMINE WHETHER THAT SPACE STILL OCCUPIED IN THE SUBSEQUENT IMAGES. AND I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT ALL PRIVACY LAWS, WHETHER THEY'RE STATE, FEDERAL, LOCAL, WILL BE ENSURED AND WE WILL NOT BE INTERRUPTING WITH ANY SORT OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND INTERFERING WITH REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY OR RESTRAINING ORDER VIOLATIONS.

[00:10:05]

AND AS I MENTIONED, AS OPPOSED TO GOING OUT MANUALLY COUNTING, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE NOTING OF VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS. THIS METHOD WILL ALSO ALLOW US TO REALLY HAVE HIGHLY RELIABLE DATA. WE CAN CAPTURE ONE SINGLE IMAGE AT ONE PARTICULAR TIME AND BE ABLE TO COMPARE THAT ACROSS DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE CITY, AS OPPOSED TO IT TAKES TIME TO ACTUALLY GO MANUALLY FROM PARKING LOT TO PARKING LOT TO PARKING LOT OR ON STREET SPACE. SO THIS PROVIDES A SNAPSHOT. SO WE HAVE KIND OF A MORE OF AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON OF THE DATA. AND ALSO IT WILL BE REQUIRE FAR LESS TIME TO DO THAT AS WELL. THE DRONE CAPTURE IS A LARGE AREA AND THEN A KIND OF RECOGNITION SOFTWARE BASICALLY DETECTS WHETHER IT'S A CAR OR NOT. AND LASTLY, IT WILL BE LESS DISRUPTIVE TO THE PUBLIC. WE WON'T HAVE CITY STAFF OR CONSULTANTS ACTUALLY ON STREET, POTENTIALLY DISRUPTING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WANT TO BE PARKING OR GETTING OUT OF PARKING SPACES. SO THE DATA COLLECTION PERIOD AT MOST IS GOING TO BE AROUND THREE WEEKS.

WE WOULD RETAIN THIS INFORMATION. SORRY. WHEN I SAY WE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTE THAT THERE'S THE CONSULTANT SIDE AND THE CITY STAFF SIDE. BOTH CONSULTANTS AND CITY STAFF WOULD WOULD RETAIN THIS DATA INDEFINITELY. THE ACTUAL RAW IMAGERY WOULD BE KEPT WITH THE CONSULTANTS FOR THEIR ARCHIVED RECORDS. THEN UPON COMPLETION, IT WOULD BE DELIVERED IN OUR PARKING INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND THE RAW IMAGERY WOULD BE ARCHIVED WITH OUR CONSULTANTS.

SO WE JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES HERE. I THINK A PICTURE SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS. AND THIS REALLY SORT OF SENDS THE MESSAGE HOME THAT THERE'S REALLY NOTHING MUCH THAT'S IDENTIFIABLE PERSONALLY IN THESE, THESE PHOTOS. THIS IS ONE PARTICULAR PARKING STUDY IN LIVONIA, JUST OUTSIDE OF DETROIT. THIS IS CAPTURED FROM ABOUT 400FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WITH A HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU THE GENERAL LAYOUT, WHETHER THERE'S A CAR THERE OR NOT. ANOTHER TYPE IS LIKE A WHAT WE CALL AN ORTHOMOSAIC. IT'S BASICALLY KIND OF A STITCHING TOGETHER OF MULTIPLE IMAGES. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A BROADER VIEW.

THIS WOULD BE ANOTHER TYPE OF DELIVERABLE THAT WE'D BE GETTING FROM OUR CONSULTANTS THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY SHOW, YOU CAN SEE HERE THE STREETS ARE KIND OF DESIGNATED WITH LIKE A GREEN COLOR. IT WOULD BE KIND OF ONE OF THOSE HEAT MAPS SHOWING WHERE THERE'S MAYBE A LOT OF UTILIZATION OR A LOT OF AVAILABILITY. THIS IS ALSO ANOTHER TYPE OF EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'D RECEIVE. I'M GOING TO HAND IT BACK OVER TO JESSICA. ALL RIGHT. THANKS, MAX. AND ANY DETAILED QUESTIONS FOR MAX AT THIS TIME, COMMISSIONERS, I HAVE FOUR QUICK ONES. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT'S THE HAVE WE GOT AN ESTIMATE ON COST FOR THIS STUDY? I'M ASSUMING YOU'VE ENGAGED THESE FOLKS. SECOND OF ALL, AND THESE ARE CIVIL LIBERTY CONCERNS. I'M WONDERING WHAT THE REASON IS. WE WOULD WANT TO LET THE CONSULTANT ARCHIVE ANY FOOTAGE IF WE GET WHAT WE WANT OUT OF IT, WHICH IS THE MAPS. IT'S NOT AS THOUGH WE'RE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SOLVE A CRIME WITH THEIR MORE DETAILED IMAGERY OR SOMETHING. SO I'D BE MORE COMFORTABLE PERSONALLY SAYING HAVING SOME OBLIGATION FOR THEM TO BURN THAT, THAT SOURCE DATA, ONCE WE'RE DONE GETTING OUR INFORMATION FROM IT AND ARCHIVING WHAT WE GET. THIRD OF ALL, I DON'T I'VE PLAYED AROUND WITH DRONES A COUPLE TIMES AND I TRY TO NOT RUN INTO THINGS, WHICH MEANS I'M NOT JUST LOOKING DOWN, I'M LOOKING SIDEWAYS. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OUR COMMITTEE MEMBER, MR. FINE, LIVES IN A BUILDING THAT'S 300FT TALL. HE MIGHT, BUT WE'VE GOT A FEW BUILDINGS IN TALL IN TOWN THAT ARE THAT HEIGHT. SO IF I'M IF WE'RE BUZZING BY SOMEBODY'S BEDROOM WINDOW AND WE DON'T WANT TO RUN INTO THE RIVERFRONT BUILDING, WE MAY BE GETTING LIVE IMAGES. AND

[00:15:08]

AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SPEAK TO THAT, BUT CERTAINLY I WOULD WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WEREN'T ARCHIVING OR CAPTURING ANYTHING THAT WASN'T STRAIGHT DOWN. AND THEN THE I GUESS.

YEAH. SO MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER THOSE THREE QUESTIONS QUICKLY. YES. YEAH. NO GREAT QUESTIONS.

MR. MAYOR. I WILL SPEAK TO THE SECOND ONE BECAUSE OF THE SPECIFICATIONS THERE. THE REASON WHY WE MAY WANT TO NOT BURN THEM AND ACTUALLY ARCHIVE THEM. THE MOBILE DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN ENGAGING IN A SIMILAR ON STREET PARKING COUNT IN THE FUTURE, IF WE ARE ABLE TO ARCHIVE THE IMAGES, THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE GREATER ABILITY TO CROSS, COMPARE AND CONTRAST FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT, LET'S SAY WE WANT TO DUPLICATE THIS EFFORT AND, YOU KNOW, SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE, IT WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO HAVE A CROSS COMPARISON FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT. SO THERE MAY BE ADVANTAGES TO ARCHIVING IN THAT CASE. AS FAR AS THE THIRD, I CAN PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL DETAIL AS FAR AS THE ACTUAL DRONE DEVICE THEMSELVES. BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT IN TERMS OF WHERE THE CAMERA IS POINTED AND ITS ABILITY TO CAPTURE IN ANY SORT OF 360 DEGREE VIEW, IT'S NOT CAPABLE. IT IS ACTUALLY JUST DIRECTED IMMEDIATELY DOWNWARD.

YEAH. SO THEN ONE OTHER QUESTION I GUESS I WOULD HAVE IS WE'RE CAPTURING IMAGES. CORRECT. WE'RE NOT GETTING VIDEO FOOTAGE. CORRECT. YEAH. JUST JUST STILL IMAGES. OKAY. SO MAYBE PUT SOME SIMPLE LANGUAGE IN THE CONTRACT THAT WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO COLLECT OR CAPTURE ANY IMAGES THAT AREN'T POINTED DIRECTLY DOWN WOULD PROBABLY BE GOOD. SEEMS TO ME.

AND IF THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM FOR HIM, IT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM TO INCLUDE IT IN THE LANGUAGE.

ANY COLLEAGUE. YEAH. PASTOR. YES. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. WHAT IS THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DRONES THAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE UTILIZE IN THIS CAPACITY FOR PARKING VERSUS THOSE FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT, BECAUSE CITIZENS WILL SEE IT AND THINK THAT A DRONE IS A DRONE IS A DRONE. THEREFORE, MY PRIVACY IS BEING JEOPARDIZED IN SOME PARTICULAR WAY. SO WHAT'S THE MAIN DISTINCTION? EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PICTURES VERSUS VIDEOS IN OTHER WAYS, CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE THAT CLEAR DISTINCTION? YEAH. WITHOUT BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE DRONES THAT ARE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE UTILIZING I CAN I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH OUR CONSULTANTS ABOUT TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO VISUALLY DISTINGUISH THEM IN SOME WAY. WE'LL ALSO HAVE STAFF OUT THERE ON SITE WITH THE HIGH VISIBILITY VESTS, AND THEY'LL HAVE THE PROJECT, THE TEAM NAME ON IT AS WELL. SO THAT WILL ALSO HELP TO SHOW THAT IT'S WE'RE NOT STAFF OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CONDUCTING THIS OPERATION. THANKS, COMMISSIONER ROBINSON. YEAH, THANKS. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, TOO. I ALMOST WONDER, TOO, IF, LIKE THE SCHEDULE OF WHEN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GOING TO BE DOING THE ANALYSIS COULD BE PROVIDED TO THREE, ONE ONE, JUST IN CASE PEOPLE CALL IN. I KNOW MOBILE IS EXTREMELY SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY TOO, SO I'M SURE THAT WOULD BE A GOOD OUTLET JUST TO INFORM PEOPLE AHEAD OF TIME TOO. SO MY JUST ONE RANDOM QUESTION.

SO WHAT ABOUT NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE I'M THINKING LIKE JOHN BALL AREA NEIGHBORS, THERE'S A LOT OF BIG TREES. AND SO FROM AN AERIAL VIEW, YOU WOULDN'T REALLY BE ABLE TO SEE HOW MANY CARS ARE PARKED ON A GIVEN STREET. SO I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY THE MINORITY OF STREETS WITHIN THE CITY, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY EXIST. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, DO WE GO, LIKE MANUALLY COUNT THOSE ONES OR DO THEY LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, LOWER THEMSELVES? THEY GET A BETTER ANGLE? I'M NOT SURE, I GUESS. CURIOUS HOW THAT WORKS WITH THAT. OKAY. WHAT I WAS GOING TO FIRST SAY IS THAT THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT IS IN THE DDA AREA. AND IF YOU REMEMBER THAT SNAPSHOT, THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS THIS INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING. WE USED TO COLLECT ON STREET OCCUPANCY AND WE DID IT MANUALLY LIKE MAX WAS TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS AN UPGRADE IN THAT TECHNOLOGY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT. AND ALSO FRANKLY TO BE THE METHODOLOGY IS FIRMER. RIGHT. THE BEING OUT THERE A LOT OF HUMAN ERROR IN CLICKING BY AND COUNTING CARS AND LOOKING AT OCCUPANCY. SO AND IT AND IT FRANKLY IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO HAVE THE PERSON HOURS OUT THERE TO DO THIS AT THE TIMES OF DAY AND AS OFTEN AS WE WANT. ONE OF THE THINGS THIS THIS DATA IS DOING IS GIVING US A GROUNDWORK FOR OUR BASELINE FOR WHAT OUR OCCUPANCY LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW BEFORE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS TAKE PLACE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S GOING ON. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE TREE COVER? YEAH, AND I GUESS THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE. MAYBE THERE ARE NO STREETS WITHIN THE DDA BOUNDARIES THAT THAT WOULD APPLY

[00:20:04]

SO I'M ENCOURAGED TO HEAR THAT THAT'S INTENTIONALLY PART OF THE SCOPE OF WHY WE'RE DOING THIS.

COMMISSIONER. FINE OR NOT, COMMISSIONER, WHAT ARE YOU. THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE THE AMOUNT OF DATA THERE IS HERE. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO START WITH ASKING WHAT IN THE END RESULT, WHAT IS THE END PURPOSE. IT'S GOING TO BE REFERRED TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE CITY FOR TRAFFIC PLANNING. OR IS IT A PARKING PROBLEM THAT THAT WE'RE DOING WITH? AND I'M THINKING ABOUT THE NEW PROJECTS COMING INTO TOWN, THE AMPHITHEATERS, THE SOCCER FIELDS AND THREE BUILDINGS FOR BOTH COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL USE. AND SO I DO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT PARKING AND ABOUT SAFETY IN TERMS OF PARKING AND TRAFFIC. I'LL STOP FOR A SECOND. A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS. YEAH, THOSE THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS. AND THEY'RE MORE ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT VERSUS THIS DATA COLLECTION TECHNOLOGY. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO TALK THROUGH THAT.

BUT I JUST WANT TO CHECK WITH KIND OF THE BODY TO GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS THAT. IS THAT ALL RIGHT OKAY. SURE. SO THE GREATER PROJECT, THE INVESTMENT STRATEGY, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WHAT I NOTICED IS THAT THE MOST RECENT PARKING OCCUPANCY DATA THAT WE HAD FOR SURFACE AND STREET PARKING WAS IN WAS 20, 2015, 2010 TIME FRAME. AND IT'S BEEN QUITE A BIT OF TIME. AND SO I WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO GET US SOME UPDATED DATA THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PUT TOGETHER IN THE GR FORWARD PLAN. AND SO THAT'S THAT WAS THE IMPETUS FOR STARTING THIS PROJECT. AND THEN WHEN I LOOKED INTO WHEN WE WENT OUT TO FIND A CONSULTANT TO HELP US WITH THE PARKING INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND THAT DATA COLLECTION PIECE, THIS WAS AN INNOVATIVE DATA COLLECTION RECOMMENDATION AS PART OF ONE OF THE PROPOSALS. AND THIS WAS THE ULTIMATELY THE QUALIFICATIONS BASED TEAM THAT WE SELECTED FOR THE PROJECT. SO YOU'RE YOU ARE GOING RIGHT DOWN THE SAME PATH I WAS THAT WE'VE GOT BIG TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS. AND THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION I GET ALL THE TIME IS DO WE HAVE ENOUGH PARKING? YES. AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD DATA TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. OKAY. FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I THINK THIS IS VERY WORTHY. A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS. AND FIRST, A COMMENT. YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE BUILDINGS THAT REACH ALMOST 400FT. THAT'S RIVER HOUSE. THE BUILDING I LIVE IN IS ABOUT 360. SO THE OTHER THING I THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF DRONES IS HOW ARE WE MANAGING IF OTHER PEOPLE ARE UP DOING THE SAME THING, WHETHER IT'S RECREATIONAL OR RESEARCH, WHAT IS THE MANAGEMENT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, AIRSPACE, LET'S CALL IT, RIGHT. THE MANAGEMENT. THE AIRSPACE IS SOMETHING I THINK MAX CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS ON. BUT THE WITH DRONES, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A LICENSED PILOT. THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL THEM AND THAT'S PART OF OUR, OUR TEAM. AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO ABIDE BY THE RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT ARE IN THAT AREA. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? NO, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. OKAY. OKAY. THERE'S ALSO A HELICOPTERS COMING IN WITH MEDICAL PURPOSES ALSO THAT NEED TO BE FURTHER FREQUENT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN THEY FIND THOSE DRONES, THEY CLOSE OFF THE AIRSPACE FIRST. AND THE FAA AND OTHER AGENCIES ARE WELL AWARE OF THAT FLIGHT THAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT ON UNMANNED VEHICLE. I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO CUT THIS OFF, BUT WE DO WANT TO KEEP THINGS MOVING. SO IF ANYONE'S GOT ANY OTHER CRITICAL ISSUES. YEAH. CAUSE YEAH, WE DID ASK ABOUT COST. THE OTHER THING IS I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT EXPANDING THIS, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK WE'LL GET IN NEIGHBORHOODS IS DOWNTOWN, ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. THERE MAY BE A NARRATIVE OF LIKE, OH, I USED TO BE ABLE TO PARK ON THE STREET, BUT NOW I CAN'T BECAUSE THE SOCCER STADIUM MOVED INTO TOWN AND NOW I CAN'T GET PARKING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD TWO MILES AWAY. AND IT'D BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME BASELINE DATA WHEN WE START HEARING THAT FEEDBACK TO SEE WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, REAL OR IMAGINED PROBLEMS WITH PARKING. BUT BUT IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THE COST ISSUE BRIEFLY. YEAH, SURE. HOW MUCH THIS WILL

[00:25:02]

SURE, SURE. I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE THAT NOTE FOR YOU ALL. I WAS DEFINITELY GOING TO TELL YOU, I BELIEVE THIS PORTION OF THE PROJECT, 35, IS ABOUT 35,000 FOR THIS PORTION OF THE PROJECT.

AND THEN THERE'S A THERE'S THAT'S JUST THE DATA COLLECTION. THE GREATER PROJECT IS ABOUT 180,000. AND IT'S A PLANNING PROCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH. SO YEAH, I THINK COST IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST. AND THEN ALSO JUST MAKING SURE WE'RE ADDRESSING I THINK SURVEILLANCE.

AND I THINK YOU ALL ADDRESSED THAT APPROPRIATELY. YOU KNOW, FROM READING LICENSE PLATES, LICENSE PLATES FOR IMMIGRATION THINGS. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISTRUST IN GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF SURVEILLANCE. SO I'M VERY HAPPY THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THIS. AND I AM SURE WE WILL ALSO HEAR MORE ON THIS ONCE WE HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW DEEPLY CONCERNED THEY ARE. SO I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING, AND WE'RE SHOWING EXACTLY WHAT OUR GOALS ARE, JUST SO THE COMMUNITY KNOWS, AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT TRUST. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I THINK WE'RE READY FOR A VOTE. THEN.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? NOBODY. THANK YOU. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU ALL FOR

[2. Presentation from the Grand Rapids Police Department on Monthly Crime Statistics and Public Safety Improvements Since 2022]

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. CRIME STATISTICS THROUGH JUNE, AS YOU CAN SEE. STILL GOOD NEWS ON THE AUTO THEFT FRONT. I HOPE THIS TREND CONTINUES. WON'T BEAT THAT HORSE TO DEATH BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT QUITE A BIT IN THIS COMMITTEE, AS YOU CAN SEE IN GENERAL, HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ROBBERY TOTALS TWO LOWER THAN THE PAST THREE YEARS. THAT'S FANTASTIC NEWS. I DID HAVE SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR DATA ANALYSTS AROUND THIS, AND THERE'S NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PATTERNS OR ANYTHING. AND THESE INCLUDE SOME LOWER LEVEL CRIMES. SO THIS COULD ACTUALLY BE SOMEWHAT OF A RESULT OF US RESPONDING TO INCIDENTS MORE QUICKLY AND TAKING REPORTS FOR LOWER LEVEL CRIMES THAT IN YEARS PAST, VICTIMS MAY HAVE DECLINED TO REPORT ALTOGETHER. BUT ANYWAY, NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ISSUES HERE. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS CHART IS TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE HOPE TO CONTINUE PROGRESS ON THE VIOLENT CRIME FRONT. THIS IS SORT OF A SNAPSHOT OF EVERY PLACE WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE CITY HAS BEEN SHOT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR PATTERNS, REALLY THE ONLY DISCERNIBLE ONE IS THAT MORE DENSELY POPULATED AREA THAT WE'VE HAD, WHICH MAKES LOGICAL SENSE. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL IN SOME OF OUR APARTMENT COMPLEXES, BUT OTHERWISE GEOGRAPHICALLY ACROSS THE CITY, YOU CAN SEE IT'S SORT OF A NORTH SOUTH, EAST WEST PROBLEM. WE'VE LOST SIX INDIVIDUALS TO VIOLENCE THIS YEAR, YOUNGEST, OF COURSE, BEING MYEISHA. ALL SIX OF THESE CASES HAVE BEEN CLEARED BY THE DETECTIVES. ALL SIX OF THESE HAVE RESULTED IN THE ARREST AND PROSECUTIONS OF ACCOUNTABLE INDIVIDUALS. I PRAISED OUR DETECTIVES WORK EARLIER AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN. YOU CAN SEE FROM THE NATIONAL AVERAGE WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THESE 21, 22, 23, 24 CASES TO GET THOSE NUMBERS UP HIGH. BUT EVERY CASE FROM THIS YEAR HAS BEEN CLOSED AT 70. NOW, FENTANYL OVERDOSES AVERAGING OVER ONE ILLEGALLY POSSESSED WEAPON YEAR TO DATE, INCLUDING AS I SAW, FIVE FROM THE SIDEWALKS DOWNTOWN THIS WEEKEND OF INDIVIDUALS ON SCOOTERS AND BIKES. ONE PERSON ON FOOT, ALL LIKELY WITH ILL DEFINITELY ILLEGAL INTENT AND AN ILLEGALLY POSSESSED GUNS. AND THOSE ARE FIVE INCIDENTS YOU WON'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT BECAUSE THERE WERE SO PROFESSIONALLY EXECUTED BY THE OFFICERS. AND THOSE ARE VERY STRENUOUS, INTENSE SITUATIONS THAT YOU USUALLY DON'T HEAR ABOUT UNTIL SOMETHING GOES GOES WRONG. SO THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB OUT THERE. 261 IS A PRETTY IMPRESSIVE NUMBER. SO GOING ON, IT'S BEEN BEEN A WHILE SINCE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW. I DID THIS IN CAL, BUT I'LL I'LL RUN THROUGH IT. I'LL TRY NOT TO USE THE SAME WORDS, BUT POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BEEN HERE SINCE 1871. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. I KNOW A LOT. A LOT HAS CHANGED. A LOT HAS CHANGED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE MAKING PROGRESS. AND ONE THING I ASK, BOTH INTERNALLY

[00:30:01]

AND THIS CASE OF JOHN, I MET HIS DAUGHTER, WHO'S A GRAND RAPIDS RESIDENT YOUNGER THAN ME. SO YOUNG WOMAN WHO TOLD ME THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PICTURES OF HER GRAND RAPIDS POLICE OFFICER FATHER IN UNIFORM. HE DIED WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG. AND SO I WENT TO THE ARCHIVES TO SEE IF I COULD FIND ONE. I FOUND THIS AND A COUPLE OTHER REALLY AWESOME PICTURES OF HIM IN HIS DRESS UNIFORM, AND I ALSO FOUND A SEALED ENVELOPE TO THE LEFT THERE, NOT TO BE OPENED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE POLICE CHIEF. SEALED IN THE 1950S AND IT WAS SEALED OUT OF SHAME PROTECTION. I'M NOT SURE WHAT, BUT IT WAS SEALED AS PART OF HIS PERSONNEL FILE TO HIDE THE FACT THAT HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN 1948 AFTER RETURNING FROM THE ARMY BECAUSE HE TRIED TO USE A WHITES ONLY TENNIS COURT. IN 1948, IN KENTUCKY. FIVE YEARS LATER, HE JOINED THE GRAND RAPIDS POLICE DEPARTMENT AT A TIME IN AMERICA WHEN UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICERS WERE STILL ENFORCING SEGREGATION LAWS AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS. HE STILL SAW THIS JOB AS AS I DO, THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS. BUT WHAT A GREAT PERSONAL TO GRAND RAPIDS EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS GENERATIONAL MISTRUST EXISTS. AND IT IS NOT ANCIENT HISTORY. THIS IS THIS IS RECENT HISTORY. SO IMPORTANT. REALLY FASCINATING. I WAS GLAD TO HAVE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET MEGAN, HIS DAUGHTER. SO I ALSO SAID HEROIC SOME INSTANCES HERE. BOTTOM RIGHT. AS I SAID EARLIER, WE CAN'T ALWAYS SHARE ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING FOR VARIOUS REASONS, ONE OF WHICH IS PRIVACY COMPLAINTS. THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS A SINCE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT DRONES, IT'S A DRONE IMAGE AND WE USE THE DRONE TO CAPTURE AN INDIVIDUAL. YOU CAN SEE THEM LAYING ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF A POLICE OFFICER, RUNNING AFTER BEING TACKLED BY ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER WHO WAS WANTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING, A MINOR. AND THE OFFICERS DID A DID A FANTASTIC JOB. OBVIOUSLY USING THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE. AND IT'S A FASCINATING STORY, BUT IT'S ONE THAT WE CAN'T TELL BECAUSE WE WANT TO PROTECT THE IDENTITY OF THIS YOUNG WOMAN. ALL RIGHT. SO SPEAKING OF HEROISM, ONE OF THE THINGS I CAN WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING TO DO BETTER. AND ONE THING I CAN DO BETTER WITH THIS BODY AND OTHERS IS SHARE POSITIVE THINGS THAT HAPPEN. AND THIS IS ONE OF ONE OF OUR OFFICERS THAT WE THAT WE HONORED AT OUR AWARD CEREMONY. HE'S ON A TRAFFIC STOP JUST IN ANOTHER CAR PULLS UP IN FRONT OF THIS TRAFFIC STOP. WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S OKAY? NO NO NO NO NO. HEY! PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME, HELP ME, HELP ME! NO NO NO! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE, PLEASE! HE'S BREATHING. HE'S CHOKING! WHAT IS WRONG? HELP ME! HEY! THERE YOU GO. THERE YOU GO. HEY. YOU'RE OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. HEY.

THERE YOU GO. YOU'RE OKAY. GOD. YOU OKAY? NO. WHAT'S OKAY? YOU'RE OKAY. YEAH. JUST KEEP MEDICAL COMING. BUT SHE'S GOOD NOW. PLEASE GO. YOU'RE OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. HEY, HEY. SHE'S OKAY, SHE'S OKAY. HEY. YOU'RE OKAY. OH, NOT THE ONLY BABY THAT WE SAVE A YEAR, BUT ONE THAT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE WHEN I WATCHED IT AND. AND DIDN'T SHARE IT WHEN IT HAPPENED. SO. SO HERE'S THE TIMELINE OF THE PAST TEN YEARS. AND A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST TEN YEARS.

IN LIGHT OF ALL THE QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THE MURDER TRIAL AND RECENT HIGH PROFILE INCIDENTS, SOMETIMES THERE'S AN EFFORT TO PAINT A PICTURE THAT NO PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE. GRPD. SO THIS MAKES THIS DISCUSSION MORE IMPORTANT. THIS TIMELINE LOOKS BACK TEN YEARS. A LOT OF STUFF HAS HAPPENED IN THE YEARS PAST. YOU SEE ALL THE WAY BACK TO THAT PHOTO, BODY WORN CAMERAS. THAT WAS SUCH A HUGE THING TO HAPPEN HERE. 21 CP THE 21ST CENTURY POLICING CONSULTANTS POLICIES PUBLICLY SHARED. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE, BUT I WANT TO DISCUSS MORE SPECIFICALLY THE LAST THREE YEARS PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL IN 2022, THE SURVEILLANCE POLICY WAS UPDATED

[00:35:03]

WITH A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO PUBLIC SAFETY. JULY I WAS STANDING HERE GIVING MY COMMISSION PRESENTATION FOR MY 100 DAY ANNIVERSARY, SHARING MY VISION FOR THE DEPARTMENT. ALSO JULY, WE PILOTED THE CO-RESPONSE PROGRAM WITH NETWORK 180 WITH ONE CLINICIAN. LATER IN THE YEAR, WE BECAME THE FIRST CITY IN THE STATE TO ADD CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT LANGUAGE TO A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. OUR 911 CENTER UPDATED TECHNOLOGY TO ACCEPT TEXT MESSAGES TO 911, UPDATED POLICIES ON DE-ESCALATION, RESPONSE, RESISTANCE AND USE OF FORCE. THEY WERE IMPLEMENTED ALONG WITH THE SANCTITY OF LIFE POLICY, ESTABLISHING THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT. AND WE TRAINED. WE COMPLETED TRAINING ON THESE NEW POLICIES.

2023 ANOTHER BIG YEAR OF CHANGES. WE REORGANIZED COMMAND STAFF TO PRIORITIZE AND ELEVATE OUR TRAINING AND ENGAGEMENT UNIT. WE TRANSITIONED FROM IMPACT STRIKING TO GRAPPLING AND JIU-JITSU FOCUSED SUBJECT CONTROL, WHICH HAS BEEN EMBRACED TO THE POINT WE HAVE NOW NUMEROUS GRPD INSTRUCTORS AND A VERY ACTIVE GRAPPLING CLUB. WE OBSERVED WE'VE OBSERVED SAFER RESULTS FOR ALL PARTIES AS WE CONTINUE TO TRAIN AND GET BETTER. WE BEGAN COMMUNITY EDUCATION. WHOOPS. SORRY ABOUT THAT. WE BEGAN COMMUNITY EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY, INCLUDING FIVE THINGS FRIDAY, WHICH RECEIVED NATIONAL ATTENTION FROM POLICE PUBLICATIONS AND HELP HUMANIZE OUR DEPARTMENT MEMBERS. SO THEY'RE NOT JUST SEEN AS THE UNIFORM. WE UPDATE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, EXPANDED RECRUITING TO INCLUDE MILITARY BASES AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND TOOK EFFORTS TO ADD EFFICIENCY AND REDUCED THE USE OF SWORN OFFICERS FOR ROLES WHICH CAN BE FILLED WITH CIVILIANS. TRANSITION SWORN OFFICERS OFF THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM, WHILE STILL MAINTAINING A LIAISON POSITION, HIRED A CIVILIAN CHIEF OF STAFF, 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, RECOGNIZING THE POLICE CANNOT 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, WE OBTAINED DRONES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUGUST OF 23. BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE HAD LAUNCHED A MULTI-PRONGED IN-PERSON AND ONLINE RECRUITING PROGRAM TO AID IN REACHING APPROPRIATE STAFFING. WITH THE SUPPORT OF OPA, WE OBTAINED NEW AND IMPROVED BODY WORN CAMERAS, WHICH, WITH BETTER QUALITY IMAGES, A TWO STAGE SHUT OFF WHICH NOW PREVENTS UNINTENTIONAL STOPS OF RECORDINGS. WE ALSO OBTAINED NEW TASER TECHNOLOGIES, LONGER EFFECTIVE RANGE AND TECHNOLOGY WHICH DISABLES THE TASER IF AN OFFICER LOSES POSSESSION OF IT. PART OF THAT CONTRACT ALSO GAVE 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 GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE. WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE GRCC ACADEMY, AND I WAS INVITED TO BY THE COLLEGE TO PROVIDE INPUT DURING THE INTERVIEWS FOR THE NEWLY HIRED DIRECTOR. FEBRUARY OF 24, WE ADDED A SECOND FULL TIME CLINICIAN AT THE CO-RESPONSE TEAM. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MET WITH. ALSO IN FEBRUARY, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MET WITH ELECTED STATE LEADERSHIP TO DISCUSS POLICE REFORMS, RESULTING IN MARCH THE PUBLISHING OF AN OP ED IN THE DETROIT FREE PRESS ADVOCATING FOR 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 USE A 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 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 THE 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 AND WE CAN TRAIN TO ELEVATE OUR RECRUIT SKILLS IN POLICE PROCEDURE SO LONG AS THEY HAVE EXCELLENT CHARACTER, WHICH IS WHAT WE HIRE FOR. THAT'S WHY WE REVAMPED OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING PROCESS TO SCREEN FOR PROPENSITY FOR 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 FOR SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

[00:40:01]

OKAY. WELL, LET'S LET'S REWIND THEN TO CIVILIAN INVOLVEMENT. WHEN IS HE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CIVILIAN INVOLVEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO POLICIES WITH THE AND HOW OFTEN ARE ALL TRAINING.

YEAH. SO COMMUNITY INFORMED TRAINING. AND I GAVE THE INVOLVEMENT EARLIER OF OUR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY. THEY APPROACHED US WITH HEY WE WANT OFFICERS TO USE TO LOOK AT THIS. I'M SORRY TO LEARN THIS. AND WE PROVIDED THEM WITH OUR POLICY ON INTERACTING WITH THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY. AND THEY SAID, YOU GOT YOUR POLICY A LITTLE LONG WRONG. WE SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK OUR POLICY SHOULD LOOK LIKE? SO THEY PRETTY MUCH WROTE OUR POLICY. SO IF THERE IS CAPACITY THERE FOR US TO HEAR FROM, FROM I MEAN, AS I SAID EARLIER, CITY'S ENTITLED TO BE POLICED. THAT WANTS TO BE POLICED. IT'S ENTITLED TO HAVE ITS OFFICER TRAINED ON WHAT IT WANTS THOSE OFFICERS TRAINED ON. SO WHERE THAT THAT'S A THING WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR CIVILIAN INPUT SO MUCH ON, YOU KNOW, THINGS TO DO AT THE RANGE. BUT EVERYTHING ELSE WE'RE LOOKING FOR CIVILIAN INPUT ON. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW IF I'D HOLD MY QUESTIONS UNTIL AFTER MR. DAVIS OR THINGS NOW BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO BE IN THE NEXT REPORT. BUT IF WE CAN JUST HAVE CHIEF AVAILABLE. YEAH. YEAH. YOU'RE

[3. Update on the Community Informed Training Program]

OKAY. THANKS. YEAH. WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO GET OUT OF HERE IN 17 MINUTES, SO PERHAPS IT'S TIME TO BRING UP MR. DAVIS. MR. DAVIS IS A LAWYER, SO HE CAN PROBABLY JUST FILIBUSTER FOR 17 MINUTES.

NO TROUBLE, BUT I WON'T.

ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I'LL GO VERY FAST. BRANDON DAVIS, FROM THE OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE OFFICE OF EQUITY ENGAGEMENT. I AM JOINED BY GAIL HARVEY, WHO'S THE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ANALYST FOR OPA. SHE ALSO IS THE PERSON WHO LEADS OUR COMMUNITY INFORMED TRAINING WORK. SO TODAY WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY FORUM TRAINING PROGRAM. WHAT IS CIT? HOW DOES IT WORK? WE'LL TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE TRAININGS.

WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE PROGRAM. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT. AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME TIME FOR QUESTIONS. SO WHAT IS CIT? IT'S THE COMMUNITY INFORMED PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM. IT RECOGNIZES THE FACT THAT REALLY WHAT THE CHIEF WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE A RIGHT TO LIFT THEIR VOICE TO SAY, THIS IS HOW WE THINK PUBLIC SAFETY SHOULD BE TRAINED IN GRAND RAPIDS. AND WE RECOGNIZE THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE, RIGHT? THERE IS BOOK KNOWLEDGE THAT WE LEARN. IT'S ON THE JOB KNOWLEDGE. BUT NO ONE CAN TELL YOU ABOUT MY LIVED EXPERIENCE IN THE SAME WAY THAT I CAN. AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY EXPERIENCE OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES ARE

[00:45:04]

AFTER WE DO THAT, THEN THE TRAINING HAPPENS. SO EACH TRAINING LOOKS AND FEELS DIFFERENT. SOME ARE PRESENTED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OTHERS ARE PRESENTED BY TRAINERS. UP TO DATE, 220 INDIVIDUALS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN CRT TRAININGS AND PROGRAMS, AND THAT INCLUDES BOTH STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SO SOME OF THE TRAINING TOPICS THAT WE HAVE GIVEN OUR LISTED HERE, ONE IS WORKPLACE WELLNESS. OTHERS ARE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE PARTS OF CULTURE, AGAIN DESIGNED TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE AND NAVIGATING THOSE PUBLIC SAFETY SPACES. ANOTHER SPACE WAS EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY POLICING FOR OUR YOUTH. I'M GOING TO QUICKLY INVITE MISS HARVEY FOR ABOUT 60S TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT AND TRAINING TOPICS THAT WE'VE OFFERED. THANK YOU, MR. DAVIS. HELLO, EVERYONE. SO I JUST PREPARED JUST A FEW OF THEM THAT WE'VE HAD. WE'VE HAD VERY GOOD SUCCESS WITH THESE TRAININGS AND THESE SESSIONS WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY ATTEND. IT STARTED VERY SMALL, AND NOW WE'RE FILLING THE ROOM AND IT'S GOOD INFORMATION AND IT'S GOOD PARTICIPATION. ONE OF THEM IS FIGHT WAS FLIGHT FIGHT OR FREEZE. AND WHAT THAT DID IS WORKED WITH OUR YOUTH AND ENGAGING WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY ON HOW TO ACT AND HOW TO REACT. AND THIS SESSION WAS ALL ABOUT SLOWING DOWN, ALL ABOUT BEING ABLE TO THINK DURING YOUR ENCOUNTER AND HOW TO RESPOND WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT WOULD KEEP EVERYONE SAFE AND NOT BE A THREAT OR LOOK THREATENING FOR THE PERSON OR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. ANOTHER ONE WAS HOW TO CALM AN ANXIOUS MIND, WHERE THEY BROUGHT IN PROFESSIONALS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, THERAPISTS AND THEY WORK DIRECTLY WITH PUBLIC SAFETY TO FIND OUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS THEY'RE THINKING, WHAT THE THOUGHTS ARE DURING THESE THINGS, AND THEY'RE IN A ROOM WHERE THEY CAN SPEAK FREELY AND JUST TAKE UP SOME OF THE TRAINING THAT THAT IS INVOLVED THERE WITH THE SESSIONS. AND ONE OF THEM, AGAIN, HOW BIG IS YOUR HEART WAS AWESOME. IT WORKED WITH OUR SENIOR CITIZENS, AND THE SENIOR CITIZENS INTERACTED WITH PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT WAS ACTUALLY A PHOTO FROM THAT PARTICULAR SESSION. AND WHAT THAT DID IS OUR SENIORS ARE FROM A WHOLE DIFFERENT ERA. AND SO WHEN THEY USED TO CALL ON PUBLIC SAFETY BACK IN DIFFERENT YEARS AND TIMES, FOR THEM, IT WAS A VERY SCARY, SCARY TIME. AND SO BY BEING ABLE TO BE IN A ROOM WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, BEING ABLE TO ACT WITH THEM, INTERACT WITH THEM, ASK QUESTIONS BACK AND FORTH AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS, IT REALLY EASED THEIR MINDS AND THEIR FEARS. SO THESE TRAININGS ARE AMAZING. OUR PUBLIC SAFETY IS INVOLVED IN THEM. I BELIEVE IT WORKS WELL FOR THEM IN OUR COMMUNITY, IS VERY RECEPTIVE TO THESE SESSIONS AND THEY GIVE US THIS INFORMATION. SO JUST THANKFUL THAT THIS IS GOING ON AND THAT IT IS GROWING. THANK YOU GAIL. I THINK SHE REALLY SPOKE TO PART THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THAT IS IT'S BENEFICIAL ON BOTH SIDES. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE COMING FORWARD AND SAYING THIS IS WHAT WE WANT PUBLIC SAFETY TO BE TRAINED ON, BUT IT ALSO CREATES SPACE FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, WHICH HELPS TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH LEADS TO MORE EFFECTIVE POLICING. SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? WELL, WE ALREADY STARTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THAT. IT DELIVERS DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES THAT LEAD TO COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS. IT ALSO ENGAGES COMMUNITY IN THOSE PUBLIC SAFETY EFFORTS. AGAIN, DOING WHAT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN SAYS WE WANT TO DO, WHICH IS ENHANCING RESIDENT VOICE IN PUBLIC SAFETY OPERATIONS. IT

[00:50:03]

AND THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CONNECTING WITH CIT. YOU CAN ALSO CALL OPA'S OFFICE DIRECTLY. THAT'S AT 4564 OPA. OR YOU CAN CALL 311 AND ASK FOR OPA. AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS WE'LL DO AN INTAKE PROCESS WITH YOU, TALK THROUGH IT, FIND OUT WHAT THAT IDEA IS OR TRAINING MODULE IS, AND WE'LL GET THE PROCESS GOING. WE LOVE DOING COMMUNITY MEETUPS. OPA LOVES TO BE IN COMMUNITY, AND SOMETIMES THE BEST THING FOR US TO DO IS TO COME TO PREEXISTING EVENTS AND JUST SET UP A TABLE AS OPA AND TALK TO MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT TRAININGS THEY THINK SHOULD BE OFFERED. AND IF YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT, LET OUR OFFICE KNOW. WE'D LOVE TO BE THERE. AND LASTLY, YOU CAN EMAIL MISS HARVEY AND HER EMAIL ADDRESS IS LISTED HERE. AND WITH THAT, I'LL SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS. COMMITTEE MEMBERS. YES, MISS JAMES, I SEE THAT YOU SAID 220 INDIVIDUALS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS. DOES THAT INCLUDE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS AS WELL? YES. SO THERE'S BEEN A MIX OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO PARTICIPATED. CHIEF WICKSTROM, WHEN YOU SHARED EARLIER, YOU SAID THERE'S 11 REQUIRED TRAININGS FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS. IS OPA NOT ONE OF THEM? IT COULD BE.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? WHAT'S THAT? I SAID, HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? OH WELL IT DEPENDS ON THE TOPIC. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING THE EXAMPLE THAT I GAVE EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD TO BE TRAINED ON THAT. IT WASN'T A RECORD BECAUSE IT WAS VIRTUAL, NOT NOT A MEETING SPACE. I THINK THE 200 PLUS MEETINGS, THOSE ARE THOSE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE ROOM. AND JUST LOGISTICALLY, IF WE PICK SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO MAKE IN ROOM MANDATORY, JUST KEEP IN MIND WE WORK 24 OVER SEVEN AND THERE'S WE HAVE OVER 400 EMPLOYEES, 300 SWORN. SO LOGISTICALLY IT'S A HEAVY LIFT, AS I'M SURE BRANDON HAS DEALT WITH THIS AS CERTAINLY I HAVE THROUGHOUT THE TIME. SO BUT IT IS IT IS POSSIBLE AS AS EVIDENCE IN THAT ONE EXAMPLE, I MENTIONED THE CHANGES THAT I DID IN ALL OF THE USE OF FORCE POLICIES. WE HAD TO TRADE IN EVERY SINGLE POLICE OFFICER ON THAT. THE PROCEDURES TO EVERY SINGLE POLICE OFFICER. SO WE DO IT. SO IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT WE NEED THAT EVERY SINGLE POLICE OFFICER NEEDS, WE CAN EITHER DO IT VIRTUALLY OR DO IT IN A CLASSROOM SETTING. THANK YOU. JUST TO BUILD. YES. EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU. JUST TO BUILD ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, THERE IS A THERE IS A THERE IS A BIG CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS. I GUESS I GOT, I GOT FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK SEVEN MINUTES IS TIME ENOUGH TO REALLY ADDRESS A SUBJECT LIKE THIS. I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO SET ASIDE A TIME THAT IS GOING TO BE SPECIFIC FOR THIS ISSUE, BECAUSE IT'S THAT BIG IN THE COMMUNITY.

I WOULD SAY. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK CAN HELP POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS? BUT JUST ON THAT POINT, HOW DO HOW DO WE DECIDE WHAT REQUIRED, WHAT TRAININGS ARE REQUIRED, FOR WHOM? FOR EXAMPLE, IMPLICIT BIAS IS IN BOTH BRANDON'S REPORT OF 2021. EXCUSE ME, MR. DAVIS'S REPORT OF 2021 AS COMING OUT OF THE 12 POINT PLAN, AND AS WELL AS IN THE POLICE CHIEF'S REPORT OF 2022, AS AFTER YOU HAD A CHANCE TO ANALYZE THINGS. SO IMPLICIT BIAS, CULTURAL COMPETENCY, GANG, YOU KNOW, GANG CULTURE SO THAT THOSE POLICE OFFICERS THAT ARE PATROLLING THOSE AREAS ARE HOW DO WE REQUIRE THAT THEY'RE FAMILIAR. AND THEN I GUESS I HAVE A THIRD PART. AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T Y'ALL KNOW ME. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATION WHEN THOSE THINGS ARE VIOLATED. WHAT DOES THE WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY DO HAVE? WHAT OPPORTUNITY DO THEY HAVE TO FILE A COMPLAINT. WHAT'S THAT PROCESS AND THOSE THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT COMPLAINTS FIRST AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE COMPLAINT ASPECT OF IT. SO WHENEVER THERE'S A VIOLATION OF ANY POLICY BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, COMPLAINTS CAN BE FILED WITH THE OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. NOW, THERE ARE STRUCTURES IN PLACE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR COMPLAINTS TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR DIRECTLY TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I ENCOURAGE MEMBERS OF COMMUNITY TO START

[00:55:03]

OUR ROLE IS REALLY TO HELP YOU GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE STEPS. AFTER A COMPLAINT IS FILED WITH OPA, WE TAKE THAT COMPLAINT IF IT'S A POLICE RELATED COMPLAINT AND THOSE ARE INVESTIGATED BY THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THAT INVESTIGATION, IN MOST TYPE OR IN MANY TYPES OF CASES, OPA IS ABLE TO DO MONITOR THAT COMPLAINT PROCESS AFTER THE COMPLAINT HAS BEEN DECIDED UPON BY INTERNAL AFFAIRS. IF IT FALLS INTO ONE OF THE CATEGORIES THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT IN MORE DETAIL. ANOTHER POINT, WE ARE THEN ABLE TO DO A SEPARATE AUDIT OF THOSE FINDINGS TO SEE IF IT ALIGNED WITH POLICY. WHAT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO IS HELP COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL SPACE TO SAY, HEY, WE JUST WANT ANOTHER SET OF EYES ON THIS. AND THE TRUTH IS THERE BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN BREAKDOWNS IN TRUST, ALTHOUGH WE'VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN BREAKDOWN IN TRUST. WHEN POLICE ARE INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS, THERE ARE SOMETIMES QUESTIONS, AND THAT'S WHERE OPA COMES IN TO HELP THAT. ON CERTAIN TYPES OF CASES, MOST NOTABLY USE OF FORCE OR CERTAIN TYPES OF IMPARTIAL POLICING CASES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN THEN EVEN APPEAL A DECISION OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT TO THE CIVILIAN APPEALS BOARD. SO THERE ARE SEVERAL STEPS THROUGH THAT. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I WON'T GO INTO MORE DETAIL, BUT CALL OPA. WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK YOU THROUGH THAT PROCESS. YEAH. AS FAR AS TRAINING, MUCH LIKE HIGHLIGHTING GOOD THINGS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN DO BETTER AS FAR AS EDUCATING INDIVIDUALS SO WELL I HAVE DONE IS RESURRECT THE CITIZEN'S POLICE ACADEMY AND THE YOUTH POLICE ACADEMY. WE NOW DO TWO YOUTH POLICE ACADEMIES EVERY EVERY YEAR. SO THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE. IT'S REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND GET THEM TO PARTICIPATE. NOW, ONE THING THAT I CAN OFFER THIS BODY IS IN SEPTEMBER ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE DO IN-HOUSE TRAININGS WHERE OUR TRAINING STAFF WILL ACTUALLY GO THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT WE ACTUALLY DO. I THINK IT'S ABOUT A FOUR HOUR BLOCK WITH THE CAB BOARD MEMBERS AND NEW COMMISSIONERS AND LAW DEPARTMENT IF THEY'RE INTERESTED, BUT I COULD INVITE EVERYONE ON THIS BOARD AS WELL. SO FOR US, IT'S JUST FINDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO GET PEOPLE IN TO SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING. BECAUSE I THINK IF YOU SAW THE ACTUAL TRAINING IN PROGRESS, YOU'D BE LIKE, OH, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE TEACHING ABOUT IMPLICIT BIAS. THIS IS THE USE OF FORCE TRAINING. SO I CERTAINLY WILL EXTEND THAT, THAT INVITATION TO THIS BODY AS WELL, AND NOT TO NOT TO COMMANDEER THE TIME. BUT I DID WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE I APPRECIATE THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE. WE JUST WE JUST HAVE MUCH MORE PROGRESS TO GO. AND I JUST THINK THE EFFORT HAS TO BE PUT IN BY EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY, OURSELVES INCLUDED. I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO MISS HARVEY TO SCHEDULE SOME TRAININGS WITH MY CURE VIOLENCE STAFF AND OUR DEPARTMENT. OUR WHOLE OUR WHOLE ORGANIZATION.

BUT I DO THINK WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER AS FAR AS MAKING SURE WE'RE CONNECTING WITH THOSE COMMUNITY POINTS TO GET THIS, GET IT OUT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. I AGREE, THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT AND SIT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR HOW LONG NOW? FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. OKAY. I DO WANT TO ADD, FIRST OF ALL, JUST TIME CHECK TO SEE DO WE HAVE EVERYBODY HERE AT LEAST TILL TWO, OR DO WE HAVE ANY HARD STOPS AT 130? OKAY, I'LL MAKE IT WORK. I CAN PUSH BACK. I DO HAVE A 2:00, BUT OKAY. JUST REAL BRIEFLY WHAT I HEAR AND HAVE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY INFORMED, COMMUNITY ENGAGED TRAINING, PEOPLE ARE VERY NOT AS AWARE OF IT. AND SO I DO THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE INTENTIONAL IN THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORT TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE AND THEN TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED. THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. YOU WERE AT A MEETING WITH ME AND HEARD SIMILAR THINGS, AS WELL AS THE CHIEF AND MEMBERS FROM OPA STAFF, SO I HEAR THAT A LOT, AND I'M NOT SURE HOW WE CAN INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF THIS NEW APPROACH TO DEVELOPING OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. WELL, AND I'LL PIGGYBACK ON THAT. I MEAN, I THINK ONE OF THE DILEMMAS OF DEMOCRACY IS YOU OFTEN GET THE ENGAGED, THE INTERESTED AND THE ACTIVE TO SHOW UP FOR CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT CAN AFFECT EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. AND IT'S ONE OF OUR CONSTANT STRUGGLES WITH GETTING PEOPLE TO COME UP, TURN OUT AND VOTE. BUT AWARENESS ON A ON A REALLY COMMUNITY WIDE LEVEL IS A REAL CHALLENGE. I MEAN, IF YOU JUST GET, YOU KNOW, FAITH LEADERS INTO THE INTO A CONVERSATION, YOU'VE JUST GOT THE FAITH LEADERS IN THE CONVERSATION. IF YOU JUST GET NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISTS IN A CONVERSATION, YOU'VE JUST GOT NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISTS, WHICH ISN'T TO DISCOUNT ALL THE HARD WORK THAT THOSE PEOPLE DO, AND WE CAN HOPE THAT THEY CAN BE CONDUITS AND HAVE SOME ABILITY TO PUSH INFORMATION DOWN. BUT I CERTAINLY THINK I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT, YOU KNOW, A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. SO I THINK THAT KNOWING THAT OUR GOAL IS GOING TO BE TO DO BETTER TOMORROW THAN WE DID YESTERDAY, I THINK THAT'S GOT TO BE TRUE OF ALL OF OUR JUSTICE AND POLICING

[01:00:02]

MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HEAR AS WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET MORE INFORMATION OUT? WHEN WE STARTED THIS, WE DID A BIG PUSH MEDIA WISE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS KNEW ABOUT IT. AND WHAT I'M HEARING IS IT MIGHT BE TIME TO DO THAT AGAIN SO WE CAN REVAMP SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS. IT'S HARVEY DOES A GREAT JOB OF BEING IN MISS HARVEY'S EVERYWHERE. SHE DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB OF BEING IN COMMUNITY. SHE'S A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING. SHE'S AT EVERY ORGANIZATION THAT SHE CAN THINK OF. SO WE SHARE INFORMATION THAT WAY, BUT WE WILL RAMP UP OUR MEDIA PUSH AGAIN, CONNECT WITH SOME TRADITIONAL PARTNERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA. TRY TO GET THE WORD OUT. I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST, SINCE THE POLICE CHIEF HAS ALREADY COMMITTED NOT TONIGHT, BUT OUR NEXT COMMITTEE COMMISSION NIGHT OUT AS HE DOES ENGAGEMENT. WE SHOULD HAVE A RESOURCE OR FOCUS EFFORT IN ALSO FEATURING THE COMMUNITY INFORMED TRAINING.

SURE. THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. THANK YOU. AND I'M NOT I'M NOT THE POLITICIAN YOU ARE. SO I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE DILEMMA OF DEMOCRACY, BUT IT MIGHT EXIST. BUT WHAT I KNOW HAS HAPPENED HERE WITH THE PEOPLE, THERE'S A FATIGUE. THERE'S BEING THERE'S A FED UPNESS WITH AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A WORD, BUT I GUESS WE'LL MAKE IT A WORD. A FED UP NESS TO IT. FOR GENERATIONS, DECADES THEY'VE BEEN WITH THE COMMUNITY, HAS BEEN ASKING FOR THINGS, ASKING FOR THINGS. AGAIN, THIS PREDATES YOU. CHIEF PREDATES CITY MANAGER, PREDATES THE MAYOR. THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ASKING FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN AS FAR AS RELATES TO COMMUNITY POLICE RELATIONS, AND THEY JUST HAVEN'T HAPPENED, OR THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AND IMPROVEMENTS HAVE MADE. MAYBE COMMUNICATION ISN'T THE GREATEST. SO I BELIEVE THROUGH MY CONVERSATIONS WE'RE AT AN INFLECTION POINT OF WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WE ARE GENERALLY AN INFLECTION POINT, I THINK PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING. WE NEED TO BE PAYING A LOT. YOU KNOW, THIS NEEDS TO PROBABLY BE A TOPIC AT EVERY MEETING AS WELL AS WORK SESSIONS TO WORK THROUGH THIS. HOW DO WE ENGAGE? HOW DO WE ROLL THIS OUT? HOW DO WE MAKE A BETTER MAKE THIS A BETTER CASE? I MEAN, WHEN I GO BACK AND LOOK THROUGH ALL THE REPORTS THAT WERE THERE AND THINGS THAT JUST DID NOT MAKE IT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, THE COMMUNITY SAYS, WELL, HECK, NOTHING'S GOING TO CHANGE. THERE'S THAT FATIGUE THAT SETS UP. WE NEED TO WE NEED TO INSTILL HOPE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, CURE VIOLENCE. YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE RUN CURE VIOLENCE PROGRAMING. AND I DON'T WANT TO GET SOAPBOX. BUT 2007 THEIR FORMER COMMISSIONER JAMES WHITE FORMER COMMISSIONER ERIC WILLIAMS, COMMISSIONER CITYWIDE CONVENING ONE OF THE TOP THINGS THERE WAS THAT THE YOUNG FOLKS IN OUR CITY DIDN'T SEE HOPE, PARTICULARLY IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND MINORITY DIDN'T SEE HOPE. 2014 2017 I CAN'T REMEMBER JOHNSON CENTER. WE DID THE SAME THING. ONE OF THE SAME THINGS THAT ROLLS UP AS A THEME IS THERE'S NO HOPE IN THE CITY. THE UNDERLYING THINGS OF VIOLENCE, HOUSING STABILITY, INCOME STABILITY, EDUCATIONAL DISPARITIES, ALL THOSE THINGS WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS AS WELL AS THIS IN ORDER TO DO THIS. BUT WHEN WE'VE ASKED FOR POLICY AND PRACTICES, REVIEW THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. CIVILIAN SUBPOENA POWER WITH CIVILIAN APPEAL BOARD, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS THAT GO UNADDRESSED AND IGNORED. THAT'S WHEN THE COMMUNITY GETS FATIGUED ON THINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A QUESTION IN THERE, BUT. I, I THINK I'LL JUST SAY I'VE HEARD THOSE SENTIMENTS AS WELL. AND I THINK THIS IS THE KIND OF ISSUE THAT WE WILL NEVER SOLVE WITH A SILVER BULLET. AND SO BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, IT'S BEEN GENERATIONS OF THIS CONVERSATION. BUT I DO THINK THAT WE AT LEAST ON OUR WATCH YOUR WATCH ON THIS COMMISSION, THE CHIEF'S WATCH AS CHIEF BRANDON, MINE THE MAYOR, WE HAVE TO DO ALL WHAT WE CAN IN THAT MOMENT AND FOR THAT TIME. AND I THINK OVER THE PAST, I THINK WHAT THE CHIEF IS TRYING TO SHOW THE PAST THREE YEARS, HE'S CONTRIBUTED TO SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT IN BUILDING TRUST. WE KNOW WE STILL HAVE MORE TO GO, BUT WHAT I HOPE WE DON'T. YOU TALK ABOUT HOPE. IF WE CONTINUOUSLY TALK THAT ABOUT NOTHING'S BEEN DONE, THAT DOES NOT GIVE PEOPLE HOPE. AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACCURATE. SO HELPING TO I THINK THE WAY THAT THE CHIEF PHRASED IT EARLIER, THERE WAS A HARMFUL AND HELPFUL HOWEVER YOU PHRASE THOSE TWO DYNAMICS OF POLICING. IS THAT ACCURATE THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT BOTH AND DO IT IN A VERY PRACTICAL, AUTHENTIC WAY. BUT

[01:05:02]

AND WHEN WE SCALED DOWN IN THE GREAT RECESSION TO, FRANKLY, A SKELETON CREW OF POLICE OFFICERS, WELL, A LOT OF THE GOOD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STUFF GETS CUT FIRST BECAUSE YOU STILL NEED BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE POLICE HAVE TO RESPOND TO 911 CALLS, JUST LIKE A HOSPITAL HAS TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. BUT IF YOU'VE ONLY GOT AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, YOU CAN'T EXPECT GOOD OUTCOMES FROM YOUR HOSPITAL. AND IF WE DON'T HAVE COMMUNITY POLICE OFFICERS ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY, THAT I'M CONVINCED THERE'S A LIMIT TO HOW FAR WE CAN GO. AND I WILL TELL THIS GROUP WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION IN COMMUNITY HALL.

YOU CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT, BUT I AM CONVINCED THAT OUR COMMISSION IS WILLING AND READY AND EAGER TO SUPPORT THAT GROWTH AND MOVEMENT IN THE FUTURE IN PUBLIC SAFETY. BUT AGAIN, AS COMMISSIONER JAMES, OUR COMMITTEE MEMBER JAMES POINTED OUT, THERE'S A WHOLE AND OTHER PEOPLE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO KEEP COMING BACK TO IS PUBLIC SAFETY IS A MUCH BIGGER THING THAN THE PROBLEMS WE ASK THE POLICE TO DEAL WITH. AND SO A PEACEFUL AND A EMPATHETIC AND A TRULY MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY INVOLVES A LOT OF THINGS, AND NOT JUST THE THINGS WE CALL CRIME. SO AS IMPORTANT AS CURE VIOLENCE IS, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE DOING AND THAT OUR POLICE OFFICERS CAN DO POTENTIALLY, BUT OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN DO IS START SOLVING PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY BECOME PROBLEMS, DIFFUSING TENSIONS. AND THERE'S SO MUCH WORK WE CAN DO IN THAT SPACE. AND, AND YOU KNOW, I AND I THINK ALL OF US WOULD WELCOME IDEAS FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THAT BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER BE DONE WITH DEALING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY.

WHEN PEOPLE GET TOGETHER. YOU HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL TENSION BETWEEN, I WANT TO DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET ALONG WITH MY NEIGHBOR. WE'RE NEVER GOING TO SOLVE PUBLIC SAFETY. WE CAN GET BETTER AT IT, BUT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE DONE. SO IF I CAN JUST 60S REAL QUICK, IS I? I APPRECIATE YOU BOTH. SO YEAH, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. MAY HAVE BEEN EXTREME AND I, I TRY NOT TO USE THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. SO I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME THINGS DONE. BUT I GENTLEMEN, LADIES, FOR THIS, A LARGE PART OF THE COMMUNITY, IT FEELS LIKE NOTHING'S BEEN DONE FOR A LONG TIME. HOW WE HOW WE COMBAT THAT.

[01:10:04]

THAT IS BECAUSE I THINK THERE IS A FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW, TO QUOTE DOCTOR KING, THAT WE ADDRESS WITH THIS PROBLEM HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS. THAT'S ALL. AMEN. SO THANK YOU BOTH. I HAVE ONE QUESTION. OH, SORRY. GO AHEAD. MR. BRANDON DAVIS, CAN YOU CAN WE AS A COMMITTEE ASK YOU TO COME UP WITH A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH OF HOW WE CAN DIRECTLY IMPROVE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN GRAND RAPIDS AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? IS THAT SOMETHING O.P.R CAN GIVE US? WELL, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO BE DIRECTED TO DO BY THE CITY MANAGER. BUT I DO THINK THAT'S THE TYPE OF WORK THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING. AND WE'RE WORKING COMPREHENSIVELY, NOT JUST AS OPA, BUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY ARE DOING THAT WORK. CAN I ASK MISS JAMES AND MISS BY THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY MANAGER? MAYBE I'M NOT A GREAT EVENT PLANNER, BUT MISS JAMES AND MISS HARVEY, THANK YOU. I CHALLENGE DC TRIGGS, A BASEBALL STAR, TO A SOFTBALL GAME WITH THE POLICE AND COMMUNITY LEADERS. IF Y'ALL CAN HELP US ORGANIZE THAT, WE'LL BE THERE. I'LL PLAY FIRST BASE. I CAN'T RUN ANYMORE, BUT LET'S LET LET'S DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. GREAT DISCUSSION. AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. THANKS. THAT

[4. GRFD FY26-28 Strategic Planning Process]

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ENTERING ITS FIFTH STRATEGIC PLAN, SO I BELIEVE WE'RE THE LONGEST TENURED DEPARTMENT DOING STRATEGIC PLANNING HERE IN THE CITY. AND I WANT TO START OUT WITH TWO, TWO ITEMS. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK THANK MY TEAM IN THE BACK PLANNING DIVISION. WE HAVE SOME MEN AND WOMEN OFF THE STREETS AND THEN MY EXECUTIVE STAFF. IT'S A VERY COLLABORATIVE, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. WE HAVE CITIZENS, WE HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS. WE HAVE EVERY RANK IS REPRESENTED AND LABOR SITS AT THE TABLE WITH US TO COME UP WITH THIS PLAN.

THE SECOND THING IS, IS CELEBRATION. AS CHIEF WINSTROM SAID, WE DO NOT CELEBRATE OUR WINS ENOUGH. SO TODAY I INVITE YOU ON THE WAY OUT TO GRAB SOME FOOD AND WE'RE GOING TO HANG OUT IN THE BACK AND CELEBRATE WITH US. SO I'LL MOVE US THROUGH THIS PRETTY QUICK. THIS IS A 9 TO 12 MONTH PROCESS FOR US WHEN WE ENGAGE IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. IT STARTS THE YEAR BEFORE IT EXPIRES, AND WE HAVE VERY SPECIFIC STEPS THAT WE MOVE THROUGH. WE GATHER A LOT OF INFORMATION NOT ONLY INTERNALLY, BUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND WITH OTHER AGENCIES THAT WE WORK WITH. SO IT'S A VERY OPEN, TRANSPARENT PROCESS. THE INTERNAL WORKSHOP BRINGS ALL OF THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER, AND WE SPEND ABOUT 9 TO 10 HOURS IN A ROOM TOGETHER IN ONE DAY AND REALLY GRIND THROUGH NOT ONLY WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM ALL THE OTHER GROUPS, BUT WHERE WE NEED TO GO. THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE GRAND RAPIDS FIRE DEPARTMENT DID NOT CHANGE. IT WAS AFFIRMED.

THE VALUES DID NOT CHANGE. THOSE WERE AFFIRMED AS WELL. THE VISION STATEMENT DID. THE VISION STATEMENT. NOW WITH INPUT FROM CITY MANAGER, HE FELT WE WEREN'T REACHING FAR ENOUGH. AND SO I INITIALLY HAD THE GROUP PRIMED TO SAY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WANTED TO BECOME THE SAFEST MID-SIZED CITY IN THE MIDWEST, AND MANAGER SAID, I THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT. I THINK YOUR MEN AND WOMEN ARE BETTER THAN THAT. SO IT'S COUNTRY BECOME THE SAFEST MID-SIZED CITY IN THE COUNTRY BY DEVELOPING OUR MEMBERS TO PROVIDE INDUSTRY LEADING FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES. AND I WANT TO MAKE A POINT THAT THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES ON THE STREETS DOING THE WORK. I'M NOT GOING TO READ THIS WHOLE PLAN TO YOU, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE STRATEGIES BROKEN UP INTO FIVE KEY AREAS IN OUR DEPARTMENT RESPONSE, TRAINING, PREVENTION, WELLNESS, AND SUPPORT SERVICES. EACH ONE OF THESE HAS AN OWNER AND A BACKUP. THERE'S A DESIRED OUTCOME WHERE WE WANT THAT GROUP OF WORK TO BE IN THE FUTURE. AND THEN THREE DISTINCT STRATEGIES. YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, THIS SEEMS OVERLY OVERLY SIMPLISTIC. IT'S VERY HARD TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THIS. WE THEN TAKE THIS ONE PAGE AND BREAK IT DOWN INTO MULTIPLE PAGES OF WHO IS GOING TO DO WHAT BY WHEN WE HAVE GOALS, WE HAVE TASKS, WE HAVE FISCAL COMMITMENTS. ALL THAT IS LINED OUT IN ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK BEHIND THE SCENES. BUT WE WANT THIS TO BE MORE OF A PLACEMAT, SOMETHING THAT OUR MEMBERS CAN SEE WALKING DOWN THE

[01:15:01]

AND THEN AFTER THIS, WE'RE GOING TO INSTRUCT OUR DEPARTMENT ON WHAT THIS PLAN CONTAINS. SO EVERY MEMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT KNOWS WHERE WE'RE GOING. THEN FINALLY, WE REVIEW THESE GOALS EVERY SIX MONTHS. AND SO THIS IS AN ITERATIVE ITERATIVE PROCESS THAT WE GO THROUGH. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO ROLL OUT THIS NEXT STRAT PLAN. AND CERTAINLY ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANKS, CHIEF. GREAT BRIEFING AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PROCESS THAT IT REMINDS ME OF MY JOKE ABOUT MY FAVORITE FORMAT FOR MEETINGS, WHICH IS THE ENGINEERING FORMAT, WHICH IS WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WHO'S GOING TO DO IT? WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO IT BY? WHY ARE WE STILL MEETING EXACTLY? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. SO YOU TALKED ABOUT WELLNESS SCREENINGS AND IDENTIFYING LIFE THREATENING ISSUES, PARTICULARLY CANCERS AMONG YOUR MEMBERS. I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE ALSO DONE ANY PROACTIVE RE OR IF YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING UP TO DATE WITH HEALTH ISSUES THAT ARE OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN REGARDS TO PFAS, HAVE YOU DONE ANY RESEARCH ON THAT? HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING THAT COULD BE MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO PFAS CHEMICALS? YEP. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO WE DO A VERY COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL PHYSICAL THROUGH THE CITY. IT'S NFPA COMPLIANT. SO THAT'S THE GOVERNING BODY OVER OVER HOW WE DO THINGS IN THE FIRE SERVICE.

WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE BLOOD PANEL TAKEN EVERY YEAR FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR PEOPLE. AND THEY DO IDENTIFY SOME THINGS. THE OTHER THING WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS TRANSITIONING OUR TURNOUT GEAR TO PFAS FREE TURNOUT GEAR. BUT UNDERSTAND THAT TAKES 3 TO 4 YEARS, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF SETS OF GEAR. AND OF COURSE, OUR FOAM HAS BEEN PFAS FREE FOR WELL OVER A DECADE. BUT WE'RE VERY WELL AWARE THAT WE'RE EXPOSED TO THINGS. THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS NOT ON A FREQUENT BASIS. SO FOR US GETTING THAT GOOD BASELINE MEDICAL WHEN PEOPLE ENTER THE FIRE SERVICE AND EVERY YEAR HAVING GOOD BLOOD WORK, GOOD PHYSICALS, GOOD X-RAYS, AND DOING THAT SCREENING IS KEY TO CATCHING THINGS EARLY. THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND MY TIME HERE ON THIS COMMITTEE. I HAVE BEEN MORE THAN IMPRESSED WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR INTERNAL LEADERS AND THE DIRECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. I DO FIND IT TO BE HEROIC, GIVEN THE STRUGGLES AND THE TRIBULATIONS YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME ON A DAILY BASIS. IT'S RECOGNIZED AND APPRECIATED. AND WITH THAT, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THOSE PAGES AND PAGES OF MORE DRIVEN DOWN DETAILS THAT FALL WITHIN THIS PROGRAM, AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. I ASK, WITH SPECIFIC INTEREST TOWARDS THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM AND HOW THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE TO RECOGNIZE THIS VERY NUANCED PROGRAM THAT LIVES INSIDE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES WONDERING WHERE THAT

[01:20:03]

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. SO NORMALLY WE PUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN OUT ON THE WEBSITE. THE OPERATIONAL PLAN HAS A LOT GREATER DETAIL THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD FIND BORING, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THE OPERATIONAL PLAN TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE FOR YOU TO REVIEW. THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM IS SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED IN THERE, AS WELL AS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

IT FALLS UNDER EITHER THE RESPONSE PREVENTION OR SUPPORT SUPPORT SERVICES PILLARS. SO IT'S IT'LL GIVE YOU MORE INSIGHT INTO WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION, CITY MANAGER. JUST REAL BRIEFLY. THANK YOU, CHIEF. AND TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR YOUR WORK AS WELL. SEVERAL IMPORTANT THINGS ARE HAPPENING WITH REGARD TO EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF SERVICES. THOSE TWO NEW FIRE STATIONS ARE SERVING A MUCH HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED PART OF OUR CITY ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE. SO THANK YOU FOR LEADING THOSE EFFORTS, ALONG WITH THE TRAINING CENTER THAT'S GOING TO HELP WITH REGIONAL PREPARATION. BUT LASTLY, WITH THE NEW EMERGENCY MANAGER THAT'S COMING ON BOARD, WHAT WE FOUND, WE HAVE A GREAT WE'VE HAD A GREAT ROBUST EMERGENCY PROGRAM. BUT WHAT I'VE ASKED THE CHIEF TO HELP US IN THE FUTURE WHEN THERE IS A LOCAL DISASTER THAT IS NOT FEDERALLY DECLARED BY FEMA OR STATEWIDE OR EVEN LOCALLY, BUT WE NEED SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE. WE NEED DISASTER RECOVERY EFFORTS COORDINATED. AND WE REALIZE THAT WITH A INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUE WE HAD ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF THE CITY. AND SO THAT IS PART OF THE NEW STRATEGIC EFFORT WITH OUR NEW EMERGENCY MANAGER TO HELP US GET BETTER IN SMALL, LOCALIZED DISASTERS AND RECOVERY. SMALLER AND FASTER RECOVERY FOR THINGS THAT DON'T FIT INTO OTHER CATEGORIES. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. SEEING NO OTHER DISCUSSION.

[5. Update on Noise Ordinance Considerations Related to Amplified Sound]