LANSING, Mich. — Leaders from across the state were in attendance of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's sixth State of the State address Wednesday night. One of which was Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom.
In an interview with 13 ON YOUR SIDE, he said it was his first time seeing the state's Capitol.
"Their Representatives chamber is a beautiful place to be, you really feel like you're part of history," he said. "Going to the State of State, it's a big deal."
Senator Mark Huizenga, a Republican who represents portions of Kent and Ottawa counties, invited Winstrom as his guest.
Huizenga says it was to make sure the community's police officers have the resources they need to keep our neighborhoods safe.
Winstrom said one thing that stuck out to him was that Whitmer did not address policing in our state, and he believes that's because we have turned a corner in policing in 2024.
"To hear that the policing isn't the first thing that politicians want to talk about is actually a little bit comforting," Winstrom said, "When people say 'what are your goals?' My goal is to try and make policing boring in Grand Rapids."
When you don't hear about policing on one of the state's biggest platforms, that means there's no spike in crime or controversies, which is always a good thing, Winstrom says.
"To have an entire State of State go by and not talk about policing as a profession almost made me feel like Michigan's turn the corner," he said. "We realize that we've got a job to do, we're going to do it to the best of our ability."
He also said even though a Republican senator invited him, he shook hands with people on both sides of the aisle.
"It really made me feel like the entire state of Michigan is to the point where they're supportive of our first responders supportive of the policing profession, and they see it valuable. And they know that it's key to supporting our all our communities," said Winstrom.
Winstrom says there were a few city commissioners, city manager Mark Washington and Mayor Rosalynn Bliss also representing Grand Rapids at the event.
"There were a lot of other local Kent County people that I recognize and made feel like Michigan has a small town feel to it," he said.
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