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Quarterly Report - Fourth Quarter - 2003

TO: Kenneth D. Krombeen, City Manager
FROM: Vernon L. Snyder, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Quarterly Report – Third Quarter
DATE: January 20, 2004

Listed below is a review of some police activities for the third quarter of 2003; the months of October, November and December.

Complaints Investigated

Performance Report

CRIME STATISTICS:  

Robberies were up for the quarter, although the numbers are still very low only going from one to three.  On November 1, 2003, the Shell Gas Station at 28^th Street and Wilson Avenue was robbed.  Grandville Police Officers worked with deputies of the Ottawa County Sheriff Department to arrest a suspect for that offense.  Officers were also able to arrest a person that falsely reported a robbery at a bank while making a night deposit.  

Burglaries were down significantly during the quarter from thirty-seven to fourteen.  East Elementary School was broken into during September.  This burglary was investigated as part of a pattern of offenses that shared similarities with offenses that occurred in the City of Wyoming.  During November, two suspects were charged with this burglary.  An area church was also broken into.  While investigating that offense, a suspect was identified.  During the investigation, while officers lacked sufficient evidence with which the charge the suspect with the church burglary, they did recover a stolen handgun resulting in other felony charges.  

Most other criminal offenses remained somewhat consistent with prior years with slight increases in the offenses of larceny and controlled substance violations, and a slight decrease in the offense of malicious destruction of property.  

PERSONNEL:  

Officer Bill Howland has been assigned to the one year position in the Detective Unit.  This position has been vacant since Officer Jennifer Roelofs transferred back to patrol and had not been filled due to the retirement of Officer Donner Richter and the need for new officer Darin Rietman to complete the field training program.  

TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT:  

Grandville Police Officers continued to work with other area officers on the red light enforcement project.  This project was initiated and coordinated by the Grandville Police Department.  The project started during the summer months and was suspended on October 28, 2003. During November and December, Grandville Police Officers worked with other area police departments on Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) projects targeting both seat belt and drunk driving enforcement during enforcement waves.  On December 12, 2003, the Grandville Police Department was notified by the OHSP that it had been selected to receive an additional $5,000 grant to be used for either equipment or overtime for traffic enforcement projects.  The department was also notified that our cooperative grant was going to receive additional funding for enforcement efforts.  The OHSP projects, along with normal enforcement efforts, resulted in significant increases in drunk driving arrests, traffic tickets, and verbal warnings issued during the quarter.  At the same time, traffic crashes showed a slight decrease from the prior two years.  

COMMUNITY POLICING:  

Officers Dave Greco and Ken Rosher were recognized at the Grand Rapids Safe Kids Coalition on October 15, 2003 at an appreciation luncheon.  The coalition has provided services to the greater Grand Rapids area for fifteen years.  The goal of the coalition is to decrease the accidental injuries and deaths to the children in the community.  Two of the major projects that they support are the child safety seat inspections and bicycle safety programs.  Officers Greco and Rosher received an award for their very significant participation in both of these programs.

The Grandville Police Department worked with Grandville Middle School this year on the “Michigan Safe Schools Initiative.”  This was a major project with many schools from across the state participating.  The event included training for both students and staff in how to help ensure school safety.  A number of school events were included in the weeklong project which culminated with a group of students accompanied by school staff and Officer Ron Colvin, traveling to the Michigan State Capital where they watched Governor Jennifer Granholm as she signed the proclamation for the “Michigan Safe Schools Initiative.”  

As a part of the “Michigan Safe Schools Initiative” representatives of both the Grandville Public Schools and the City of Grandville attended a seminar on “Homeland Security Executive Seminar: Are Our Schools Prepared?”  This workshop resulted in a grant application being filed by the Grandville Public Schools which, if approved, would provide funding for school and city personnel to attend nationally recognized critical incident training.  

As a result of a bomb threat at Rivertown Crossings Mall, the Grandville Police Department, working with mall management and public safety, provided training for mall merchants in both bomb threat and other critical incident response.  Representatives of about thirty-five of the businesses at the mall participated in the training effort.  

MISCELLANEOUS:  

All members of the Grandville Police Department recently became certified in the use of the expandable baton (asp).  This provides officers with an additional choice in situations that require the use of force.  Officers are also in the process of being re-certified in pressure point control tactics (ppct), the nationally recognized system for gaining control of non-complying suspects.  

As technology continues to evolve, officers must continue to be equipped to handle situations they encounter while working on the street.  The Wyoming Police Department as well as other local departments have deployed “tasers” for use by officers working on the road.  Three of our officers recently had the opportunity to experience the effects of a taser while participating in a training seminar.  They found the device to be extremely effective.  A complication has been reported with the use of the taser after a suspect has been sprayed with “OC” spray.  In many of the currently available sprays, including that used by most local departments,  the propellant in the liquid is alcohol based.  In isolated incidents, it has been reported that the taser has ignited the spray.  Grandville Police Officer Troy Pearson assisted officers from other local departments in testing “OC” sprays with alternative propellants to ensure the effectiveness of the products while eliminating the potential for ignition.     

HOLIDAY HEROS:  

Once again, the officers of the Grandville Police Department attempted to brighten the holidays for some people in need.  Two local families were selected.  One family anticipated a Christmas without much under the tree for the children due to financial difficulties.  Another family was attempting to cope without much holiday celebration due to medical issues.  With the involvement of department employees, both of these families celebrated Christmas with a new appreciation for the compassion that police department employees can show.  

                                                                        Respectfully Submitted,  

                                                                        Vernon L. Snyder,

Chief of Police

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