GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids police captain will be back at work after a review of whether he was “properly held accountable” for a controversy involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Grand Rapids Police Command Officers Association said the city suspended Capt. Curt VanderKooi for two days.
VanderKooi , who has been with GRPD for nearly 40 years, contacted ICE after Jilmar Ramos-Gomez was arrested in November for allegedly setting a fire inside Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. Ramos-Gomez is a former U.S. Marine who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. ICE says he told agents he was in the country illegally, but he is a natural-born citizen. He was held by ICE for three days in December until his attorney proved that.
After VanderKooi contacted ICE while off-duty without consulting anyone else at the department, he used the word “loco” to describe Ramos-Gomez in an email to federal officials. The Grand Rapids Police Department said that while an Internal Affairs investigation found VanderKooi was right to call ICE because of terrorism concerns, it also found his use of the word “loco” was unprofessional and he was counseled.
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