At a City Commission meeting last week, the city's Community Relations Commission released a report urging more police accountability, in addition to releasing specific recommendations that could be used to improve said accountability. This week Tuesday, the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), responded to the criticism in the form of a 113-page report and summary delivered by Chief of Police Harry Dolan. According to the Grand Rapids Press coverage of the GRPD's response, criticisms of the police department are harming the city's youth who are "influenced by community leaders and radio talk show hosts who depict police officers as villains, thereby justifying disrespect and distrust of persons in authority." Chief Dolan went on to state that he can "only imagine the despair these young people must feel about their future, particularly when they are encouraged to adopt attitudes of victimization and helplessness." Dolan charged that the forums held back in February on community attitudes towards the police were of little use, arguing that they caused conclusions to be made "without a through review of the facts" and that they undermined the "heroic work" of the GRPD. Both Mayor George Heartwell and City Commissioner Rick Tormala said that Chief Dolan was "overreaching" in his criticisms of community leaders.
The GRPD's report is a result of ongoing discussion in the community over a study published by the Grand Rapids Urban League documenting disproportionate arrests of African-Americans for charges such as "impeding" and "hindering and opposing." While the Community Relations Commission's report last week contained recommendations that could help solve the problem, the GRPD is unwilling to take the criticism seriously and is unlikely to engage in any real dialog, instead seeking to defend its reputation without addressing the problem. To that end, the Assistant City Attorney Margaret Bloemers has proposed amending the City's disorderly conduct order as a way of solving the problem. This "reform" supposes that the problem can be solved simply by changing the guidelines the police use and ignores the possibility of institutional racism within the GRPD and other systemic reasons for the disproportionate arrest rates of African-Americans.
The new ordinance would clearly outline what it means to "impede or interfere" and that someone has to "willfully" disobey an officer's order before they can be arrested. It would also add a provision to the ordinance requiring people to identify themselves if the police requested, a provision that could have serious repercussions for civil liberties. Currently, one does not have to identify themselves to the police unless they are being detained.
