GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A set of new policies, procedures and training aimed at improving ways officers deal with youth is on the books.
Members of Grand Rapid’s Police Policy and Procedure Review Task Force presented the new policy to city commissioners Tuesday.
The Youth Interactions Policy calls on Grand Rapids Police Department officers to take alternative approaches to dealing with youth based on multiple factors including age, severity of the crime and apparent mental capacity.
>>PDF: Youth Interactions Policy
The policy is a result of two high-profile incidents last year involving young people.
In one case, 11-year-old Honestie Hodges was handcuffed at gunpoint and placed in the back of a patrol car while officers searched for an attempted murder suspect.
The new policy addresses those types of situations in a general way:
“If a youth has been patted down, searched or handcuffed, officers shall notify the youth’s parent or guardian. The notification may be either in person or by telephone and shall be documented in the field interrogation or incident report, along with the identity of the parent or guardian who was notified. If the officer is unable to notify a parent or guardian, every attempt shall be documented in the field interrogation or incident report.”
In March 2017, several teens were forced to the ground at gunpoint by officers responding to reports of a teen with a gun. This incident wouldn’t impacted by the new policy.
In cases where a weapon may be involved, police will continue to follow the same procedure. But one city commissioner says the new policy lacks specifics.
"I think it's pretty subjective,” said Third Ward Commissioner Senita Lenear.
Lenear asked police officials to track incidents involving young people so they can be compared to past incidents to determine the policy’s effectiveness.