GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Authorities in West Michigan are celebrating the opening of a new facility that now houses the Sixth District Headquarters, the Grand Rapids Post and forensics laboratory all under one roof.
The new Michigan State Police Grand Rapids Facility brings together three MSP facilities to increase collaboration and drive down costs, leaders with the department said.
“A building is a building, and it doesn’t make the department or the service we provide, it’s our members who make those important contributions,” Colonel Joseph Gasper said. “But I must say that it’s really something special when the building matches the high caliber of professionalism our members display.”
The 115,000 sq. ft. facility features a defensive and firearms tactics training room, classrooms for in-house and outside agencies, necessary space for evidence storage, and much more.
"It helps with a lot of the communication between officers and lab personnel. So if they're working on a case, they can talk to each other," said Specials Lt. Michelle Robinson with Michigan State Police.
It also offers a central location with easy access to the expressway which will allow troopers to respond to different calls for service more quickly.
The new facility was made possible thanks to work between the MSP and the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB).
At the dedication ceremony, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a $6.35 million investment that she says will get illegal guns off the streets and enhance public safety.
The proposal is part of the larger $75 million MI Safe Communities framework the governor laid out in July. The idea is to take federal funding from the American Rescue Plan that Gov. Whitmer says will reduce crime and keep people safe by tackling the court backlog, expanding resources available to law enforcement and uplifting communities by making investments in jobs, justice and education.
Due to the pandemic, local court systems have been struggling to clear their backlog without state assistance.
“Courts pivoted quickly to remote proceedings to keep our justice system running, and trial courts statewide have held nearly four million hours of remote hearings since April of 2020,” said Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget M. McCormack. “To protect the rights of defendants, however, many criminal proceedings must be in person, creating a substantial backlog in many courts. Additional visiting judges will help tackle that backlog, resolve cases more quickly, and help keep our communities safe.”
“We have to work together to reduce crime and get illegal guns off the street because every Michigander, no matter where they live or who they are, deserves to live safely,” Whitmer said. “As a former prosecutor, keeping families safe is a top priority. Both the MI Safe Communities framework and the new Michigan State Police Grand Rapids Facility will put Michiganders first by helping law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively and tackle the court backlog to get illegal guns off our streets."
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