GRHerald

The four finalists for the next chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department touted their experience and vision at a public meeting Tuesday evening. Gary Peterson, the president and CEO of Public Sector Search & Consulting, moderated a discussion with the candidates: Mark Bliss of the Detroit Police Department; Rafael Diaz of the Kalamazoo Police Department; Eve Stephens formerly chief of the University of Texas at Austin Police Department; and Joe Trigg, current interim chief of GRPD.

The Grand Rapids Police Department’s use of K9s is in step with Office of Public Accountability (OPA) recommendations but lacks written policies to prescribe them, a probe of department policy found. Brandon Davis, OPA managing director, presented his office’s report on GRPD K9 policy at a Tuesday public safety committee meeting. His report compared GRPD’s written policy with other peer cities and national best practices.

Disclosures made by members of the Grand Rapids City Commission identify any possible conflicts of interest in their city work. The information comes from the Commission’s 2026 financial disclosure statements, which The Grand Rapids Herald obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Since changes to accessory dwelling unit ordinances in 2024, Grand Rapids is on track to approve more of the structures than it had in the 16 years prior. From 2008-23, 18 ADUs were permitted in Grand Rapids. From 2024-26, 21 ADUs received permit approvals, and one withdrew, according to data provided by the city’s Planning Department. The city approved the code changes in April 2024.

Three out of the four finalists for Grand Rapids’ police chief opening come from the state of Michigan, according to a city announcement released Thursday. City officials launched a nationwide search through the firm Public Sector Search & Consulting, Inc. It cost the city $28,500, according to a city contract signed with the firm, acquired by The Grand Rapids Herald. Former Police Chief Eric Winstrom vacated Grand Rapids’ police chief role in February in Pensacola, Fla.

The city of Grand Rapids will continue to fund several programs started with the $92.3 million received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The one-time funds, received in two roughly equal installments in 2021 and 2022, have supported pandemic recovery efforts, with expenditures set to conclude by January 2027. As of early 2026 mid-year updates, the city had spent the vast majority of its ARPA allocation, with a relatively small remainder to be drawn down by the 2026 deadline.

After staying in a shelter, Lilly Frazier found her new apartment lonely. Gone were the routine and the women who helped her pick out clothes. She was grateful for a home, but daunted by the change. “It’s night and day, because you go from schedule, people, food being provided for you to being on your own,” Frazier said. Frazier credited her housing stabilization case manager, Candace Lawrence, for helping her adjust. Lawrence arranged transportation to work and doctor’s appointments.

Grand Rapids’ historic city hall was razed to the ground in the 1960s during the national urban renewal movement. The city’s current administrative building resides in Calder Plaza, the same site of Grand Rapids’ iconic red “La Grande Vitesse” statue. The previous building, constructed in 1888, had once occupied nearby land at the corner of Lyon and Ottawa streets where the Kent County Court House now sits.

The City Commission voted to increase the city’s funding for the Urban League’s Cure Violence program in its FY2027 budget, passed last month. The Commission voted to appropriate $750,000 for Cure Violence Grand Rapids, a program implemented by the Grand Rapids Urban League and the Urban League of West Michigan. The allocation includes an additional $125,000 for Cure Violence Global—for technical support—and $35,000 for a related summer youth violence prevention effort called It Takes a Village.

Roughly 40% of students in Grand Rapids Public Schools were chronically absent from school in 2025. That number dropped 4.7% year-over year, as of May 31. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing more than 10% of the school year, spiked to 54% for GRPS in 2022, according to data from the Return 2 Learn Tracker by the American Enterprise Institute. The database used counts from both states and the U.S. Department of Education to estimate percentages across the country.