After nine months without a permanent police chief, the City of Flint announced today it has filled the position.
Terence Green will take over for Interim Chief Phil Hart by September 1st. Hart’s term ended Monday.
“He cares for the city as I do,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said of Green during a press conference. “I don’t have to guess about his character or what he brings to the quality of law enforcement here in the City of Flint, because I know his heart.”
Green, who was born and raised in Flint, is the current chief of police at Mount Morris Township. He formerly worked in narcotics enforcement for the Genesee County sheriff’s department.
He said during the press conference that he wants to improve morale among Flint’s officers, which he’s heard is low, but that he can’t recommend specific changes before understanding how the department operates.
“Once I’ve done that thorough evaluation, there might be some changes, there might not be some changes,” Green said.
Green said Flint’s police department will continue working alongside both state and county law enforcement officers when he’s in charge.
“We can’t do it on our own,” he said. “We’re gonna do our job, but we welcome the Michigan State Police in continuing their efforts and helping us get that crime rate down.”
Flint officials announced last month that there had been an uptick in violent crime compared to the previous year.
Green also acknowledged that the department is trying to fill vacant officer positions, and said ideally the candidates would be people who live in the Flint area.
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