Former Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom on Monday lauded the city’s decision to name Joe Trigg its next police chief following a $28,000 national search to fill the role.
Joe Trigg, a 25-year Grand Rapids Police Department veteran, became interim police chief after Winstrom accepted the police chief job in Pensacola, Fla., in February. Prior to his exit, Winstrom said anti-police sentiment throughout his four-year tenure was a major factor behind his decision.
Winstrom cheered the city’s decision to name Trigg as his successor in a statement to The Grand Rapids Herald, lauding him as a highly skilled officer.
“I am so thankful that a city and police department I care for so much are getting such an exceptional chief!” he stated via text message. “Chief Trigg is among the smartest, hardest working, and most compassionate police officers I’ve ever known. I’m so excited to see the great things in store for the future of GRPD!”
Three other finalists visited Grand Rapids to interview for the police chief job, including Mark Bliss of the Detroit Police Department; Rafael Diaz of the Kalamazoo Police Department; and Eve Stephens, former chief of the University of Texas at Austin Police Department.
Trigg will oversee a staff of up to 312 sworn officers and 110 civilian staff. He will earn a salary between $159,915 and $206,150, according to the city’s job posting.
That wage could make Trigg the second-highest paid police chief in the state behind Detroit, whose chief of police oversees a staff of about 2,600 sworn officers and earns $243,152 annually.
“I am honored to continue serving the Grand Rapids Police Department in this new role and to build on the work we have already begun together,” Trigg said in a citywide press release. “This department has been my professional home for more than 25 years, and I am deeply grateful for the confidence the men and women of this department have placed in me. I fully support them and the work they do every day to keep our community safe.”
City Manager Mark Washington said that Trigg stood out among the four candidates as the best equipped to take on the role.
“Chief Trigg has earned the trust and confidence of the officers and professional staff he leads,” Washington said in the city release. “His leadership is grounded in listening, accountability and collaboration — qualities that strengthen both the department and the community.”
Department Veteran
Trigg has served as sergeant, lieutenant, captain; and deputy chief. He graduated from the Lansing Community College Police Academy and completed coursework at Grand Valley State University. He holds an Associate of General Studies from Grand Rapids Community College.
Trigg’s decision to become a police officer stemmed from childhood experiences with domestic violence in which he was sometimes forced to call 911. Those up-close encounters with police led him to view them as “superheroes,” he said.
During a panel interview last week, Trigg expressed his desire to expand the community police officer program and touted his record of holding officers accountable.
“We don’t have an anti-police community,” Trigg said. “We have those in our community who have feelings about the police, or maybe are anti-police, but that’s not our community.”
“I would not have the positive attitude for this job and this profession throughout my time, with thinking that we had a community that didn’t appreciate our men and women,” he added.
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