The GRPD responds to the criticisms raised by the “Clergy on Patrol” partnership

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GRPD edited the post on Monday evening, clarifying the details and intent of the program. Photos showed members of the clergy participating in use of force training.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich On Friday, the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) shared a post on their Facebook page announcing a partnership with local religious leaders. It is called “Clergy on patrol”. The message explains that the mission is to “foster relationships between the police and religious leaders to build bridges with the community.” Photos showed religious leaders participating in use of force and scenario-based training at the GRPD headquarters.

The post garnered thousands of comments, many critical of the program and the way it was presented.

“One of the first things they mentioned were the scenarios and the use of force,” said Brenton Kilroy, a Grand Rapids resident who commented on the original post. “So it seemed incredibly missing the mark for the whole situation, given that everything about police reform has been about reducing the use of force.”

On Monday evening, GRPD updated its message clarifying the program and its intention. He claims, in part, that the clergy will not participate in law enforcement activities. They will not be armed.

Sergeant Dan Adams spoke to 13 OF YOUR TEC on Tuesday, saying there were “misconceptions” about how the program will work. He said they updated the post to hopefully address a lot of concerns from people in the comments.

“It’s a learning experience for us,” Adams said of the post, “and it opens up conversations, sometimes difficult conversations.”

Adams said the Clergy on Patrol program is a continuation of an old project similar to the GRPD many years ago. This is one of the few community partnerships the department is working on, especially now that restrictions related to the pandemic have relaxed to allow events to occur. He specifically mentioned the partnerships with the Youth Police Academy, the Citizen Police Academy and Network 180, a mental health organization. He also added that many clergymen have contacted GRPD for the program, all of whom are volunteers.

He called the program “information sharing,” which included four hours of exposure to police operations. This included the use of force. In the future, however, the clergy will not engage in it themselves.

“It’s just an opportunity for them to ride with us and get out of the car to connect with the residents,” Adams said. “Maybe play basketball with the neighborhood kids, go door to door, call for service. It lets them see what they’re up to, and allows them to give our agents a different perspective and ‘be a bridge, a resource, between the department and the community.

However, many people commented, even after the update on Facebook, of concerns about the partnership between religious leaders and the police.

“This is my concern,” said Nicole Nutt, a Grand Rapids resident who commented on the post, “that we’re going to have these clergy, or these religious leaders, who really don’t understand the struggles that these communities have. are facing. And yet they are here with the police, which too, historically for many people, has not been helpful in defusing a crisis. On the contrary, making it worse. “

Others raised concerns about the religions represented in the program and called for more work with mental health partners and social workers, rather than with the clergy.

Many commentators suggest de-escalation training for the clergy rather than the use of force. Adams said this was an aspect they were also working on, although the photos didn’t portray it.

“De-escalation and the use of force go hand in hand,” Adams said. “De-escalation is one of the first levels of the use of force.”

Adams said their training, which is given to officers once a year, involves the ACT decision-making model. A sign hangs on the wall of the training room at the GRPD headquarters, explaining that the model involves: Identifying alternatives, projecting consequences and telling your story.

“When the clergy was here, they were learning the use of force, but also having these conversations,” Adams said, “because we have that every year when we do this training.”

Adams said the training included leaders such as the Catholic faith, different forms of Christianity, and rabbis from the Jewish community. He did not have a list of all the places of worship involved.

Adams said the GRPD is open to conversations about their programs and ways to improve.

“I encourage anyone with questions about how the police work in this town,” Adams said, “check out Citizen Police Academy, sit down with your neighborhood officer, sit down and come to the cafe with a cop or Chilling with the Chief, and ask these questions. “

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