Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington made the announcement Tuesday that he had narrowed down the search for the next Chief of Police to three candidates. Only one comes from within the GRPD, as Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne made the final cut. Meanwhile, Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski, is a finalist, as is retired Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Larry Scirotto.
The announcement comes roughly six months after then current Grand Rapids Police Chief David Rahinsky surprised Washington with is intent to retire and move to Florida. Since then David Kiddle has served as interim police chief but did not apply for the permanent position.
Whomever Washington chooses will inherit a Grand Rapids Police Department anxious to fix its relationship with the community, as the GRPD has faced public scrutiny over the past two and a half years for handcuffing unarmed African-American children under the age of 13 on multiple occasions, while a traffic study found that Grand Rapids police were twice as likely to pull over black drivers than they were non-black drivers.
Meanwhile, Washington seemed confident that one of the three candidates would be able to right the ship at the GRPD. He released this statement in part,
“These finalists…are outstanding leaders and…are committed to collaboration and building trust with the community.”
The community is invited to meet the finalists during a forum set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School. Washington says he will make a decision by the end of the month.
