GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A year that saw a record number of homicides in Grand Rapids also saw a dramatic increase in criminal charges filed by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office, with the coronavirus pandemic playing a role.
“I think across the board, people have said that violent crime is definitely up,’’ Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said. “COVID is certainly a factor.’’
His office filed 10,557 criminal charges last year; a 37% increase from 2019. The charges cover felonies, misdemeanors and high-court misdemeanors.
“It was somewhat shocking to us, too,’’ Becker said. “I think we thought there would be an increase, but not a 37% increase.''
The total includes more than 6,000 felony charges, up 44% from 2019.
“Obviously, take a look at what happened in Grand Rapids,’’ Becker said. “We had a lot more homicide charges than we ever had before.’’
Grand Rapids Police Sgt. John Wittkowski said 2020 was a tough year.
“The year 2020 was an anomaly on so many levels,’’ he said. “Certainly, with COVID creating such havoc in the community. Our officers are out there working diligently, working to address the crime in the community.’’
Grand Rapids closed 2020 with a record 38 homicides. Another 14 homicides occurred elsewhere in Kent County, including in Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville and Walker.
Some two-dozen people have been charged in the 2020 homicides. Those cases, combined with murder cases from previous years, have contributed to a backlog in Kent County Circuit Court.
“We’re not resolving those cases either,’’ Becker said. “So, it is creating a tremendous backlog.’’
It’s been more than a year since a jury trial was held in Kent County Circuit Court. Kent County officials say they are hopeful jury trials will resume sometime in the spring, with safeguards in place.
There’s cause for optimism: More in-person hearings are taking place at the Kent County Courthouse as coronavirus restrictions ease.
“And we’re looking at probably May or June when we’re hoping to start getting trials back,’’ Becker said.
Easing restrictions will also allow more community outreach, notably by area police agencies.
“Certainly, with COVID restrictions slowly abating, officers are able to engage more,’’ Wittkowski said. “Hopefully we will not see the numbers that we did last year with regards to violence.’’
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