Grand Rapids’ new police chief says he plans to use his decades of experience and connections in the city to take community engagement to the “next level.”
Joe Trigg offered his first public comments Tuesday after being named the GRPD’s full-time chief on Monday. The city says Trigg has more than 25 years of experience with the department, and he’s served as interim chief since March.
“I want to be that person at our department that can take our community engagement to the next level,” Trigg said. “And not just be a word — a buzz word, right — but actually to build a connection and understanding with the community, something I’ve worked on my whole career since putting on this uniform.”
Grand Rapids city manager Mark Washington chose Trigg after a search. Last week, the city held a public forum with four finalists for the job. Trigg was the only finalist from within the GRPD.
“I expect every person that’s hired into the Grand Rapids police department to compete for whatever level of position that they receive,” Washington said. “So having a police chief who was unafraid of community engagement, unafraid of competition, unafraid of transparency, was very important.”
Trigg takes over after the previous chief, Eric Winstrom, criticized anti-police rhetoric in the city on his way out. Winstrom accepted a job as chief of Pensacola, Florida police in February.
“Politicians that maybe are out for themselves to score cheap political points will use policing to score cheap political points. Have I seen that here? Absolutely,” Winstrom said in a press conference announcing his departure from Grand Rapids.
Trigg said Winstrom’s experience hasn’t been his experience in the city.
“I know sometimes there’s a different narrative out there, but someone that reviews body camera and sees the incident of 300 calls a day coming in to our city, our men and women are appreciated,” Trigg said. “That doesn’t mean they can’t improve and do better, either, right?”
Winstrom served as chief when officer Christopher Schurr shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head, killing him instantly. The shooting set off community protests, and led to murder charges against Schurr. A jury ultimately deadlocked in the case, and prosecutors declined to pursue the case further.
But the department has faced criticism through multiple chiefs, as video captured officers pointing weapons at children, or using force in situations where community members thought it was unwarranted. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights formally charged the department with racial discrimination in 2022. That year, the Michigan Supreme Court also ruled some of the department’s previous procedures violated civil rights.
On Tuesday, Trigg said he believed the department has improved, but he said he welcomes criticism.
“Pressure is a privilege, right?” he said. “It’s a tough job, it’s a lot of criticism, but we’ve got men and women to shoulder it. And if for some reason they have to pause or they fall below the expectation, I believe that we have an accountability system to address that.”
Trigg’s appointment as full-time chief took effect immediately. Washington said the city is planning a formal swearing-in ceremony June 29.
