Freshly-minted Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Joe Trigg said Tuesday that he is prepared to face scrutiny from city activists as he takes the helm of GRPD.
On Monday, the city announced Trigg, a 25-year veteran of GRPD, would take over the permanent chief of police role after having served in the interim capacity since March. His predecessor, Eric Winstrom, had vacated the role in February after accepting a police chief job in Pensacola, Fla.
Winstrom had been vocal about the way politics and activist pressure played into his departure, calling out what he saw as community-wide anti-police sentiment throughout his four-year tenure. Trigg said during an introductory press conference he is well aware of the community’s relationship with police, but said he is hopeful that it would not hinder his department.
“Does a lot of criticism come with this role?” he asked. “Absolutely it does, but we need men and women to be able to shoulder that.”
“It’s just part of the job—the criticism—but the community at whole appreciates our police department,” he added.
Trigg said that his approach to the job will involve “confronting anybody about anything.” Embracing these tough conversations, he said, will lead to better outcomes for city police in the long term.
“I will challenge the narrative, challenge those sorts of things, and not just go along with the motions,” Trigg said. “That’s fake. That’s not helpful and that’s just not who I am as a person.”
City Manager Mark Washington also addressed community policing concerns during the press conference, adding that the relationship between GRPD and city hall is strong despite outside headwinds.
“Obviously, there are politics in the community,” Washington said. “It’s not necessarily City Hall. It’s the tension that exists in law enforcement.”
Mayor LaGrand Defends GRPD As Activists Slam Local Policing
“The perception of that conflict, I think, is greater than the reality,” Washington added.
During budget deliberations, a group of protesters criticized the $75.4 million reserved for GRPD, describing the department as an “out of control wild animal.”
While Trigg admitted he only plans to hold the chief job for six or seven years at most, he said he plans to retire in Grand Rapids and is “not going to work at another police department.”
“To me it’s like my last dance,” he said. “I want to pour everything I can into this department and make sure we’re set up for success.”
Trigg said that in taking on the chief role he is reminded by officers lost in the line of duty, including his best friend Officer Robert Kozminski who was shot and killed in 2007.
“That’s also a reason why I hold a lot of pride in this profession,” Trigg said. “When you bury a brother in this profession, it makes you want to stand straighter. It makes you want to make sure your tie is straight and your shoes are shined.”
“He doesn’t have the opportunity to shine his badge and defend this profession any more,” he said of Kozminski. “We don’t need any added hate in this profession for something that we could have done better.”
In identifying areas for improvement, Trigg said he hopes to continue working on the city’s use of K9s. That policy came under fire in February after Mayor David LaGrand condemned the use of a K9 in the shooting death of Da’Quain Johnson by a GRPD officer.
“Let’s look at the policy, is there anything that we can do better?” Trigg said of the K9 policy. “Is there anything that we missed? I know there’s some recommendations that we’re looking at right now.”
The Office of Public Accountability (OPA) found this month that GRPD’s K9 use was acceptable, but recommended the department formalize that use via written policies. OPA Managing Director Brandon Davis said at the time that Trigg had been receptive to those recommendations.
“Since (Trigg) has been interim chief, I have greatly appreciated his willingness to listen to the recommendations of the OPA,” Davis said. “I think that he listens in a way that I haven’t experienced previously.”
Write to jackson@grherald.com