Within a week, two use of force incidents put the Grand Rapids Police Department in the spotlight, and in response the Michigan Department of Civil Rights is calling for a public hearing.
In the first incident an officer pointed his gun at two teenagers on March 11. The teens were stopped by police for walking in the street and not on the sidewalk. The situation grew tense as the officer repeatedly asked for the teens to identify themselves, then it escalated when one of them tried to walk away.
The police department said the officer pulled his gun because he saw one of the teens reaching behind his back.
"I was appalled to see how a police officer will pull out a revolver directed to two unarmed individuals," said Agustin Victor Arbulu, the executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
"My concern were a number of things. One, what if that revolver discharged? Two, what if the young man—either of them—made an unintentional move that would have cause the police officer to respond by discharging the revolver."
Arbulu said he was also concerned that interim Police Chief David Kiddle said the officers in that incident followed protocol.
The second incident occurred during a March 17 traffic stop where a driver refused to get out of his car, prompting police to pull him out of the vehicle. One officer then punched him nearly 30 times during the arrest.
"What is this police department? Why do we have these kinds of incidents occurring in Grand Rapids by the Grand Rapids Police Department," said Arbulu. "There appears to be an overreaction by the police department. I think there is a systemic issue here."
In both cases, the police interactions were caught on camera and shared on social media, prompting backlash from the public.
The police department gave their formal response Monday afternoon, and by Tuesday the Michigan Department of Civil Rights announced that there would be a formal public hearing. Arbulu called the incidents appalling, and the hearing will determine if there are more cases involving officers and their use of force.
"I think what we need is to hear from the community," said Arbulu. "We need to hear from residents who have experienced such incidents—reported and unreported—but can be substantiated."
Kiddle defended the officer who pulled his weapon on the teenager, saying the actions were appropriate. However, the officer who punched the driver has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
GRPD has not issued a statement in response to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights calling for a hearing.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights has tentatively scheduled the hearing for March 28 to hear from the community. Times and locations have not been set yet.
The public is invited to attend.
"Anyone who has an interaction with the Grand Rapids Police Department they would like to share is encouraged to attend and speak. Those providing cases in which they allege bias or unlawful discrimination occurred are encouraged to provide as much detail related to the incident or incidents as possible, including dates, times, locations and other relevant information," a statement from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights said.
The Michigan Department Civil rights is tasked with investigating and resolving discrimination complaints. It is the operational arm of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission.
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