GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Buffalo, New York native Eric Winstrom says he has a lot of family and friends in Florida and that's the main reason he decided to seek the police chief position in Pensacola.
The Grand Rapids police chief and City Manager Mark Washington held a news conference at police headquarters this (Friday) morning to discuss the transition to a new chief in Grand Rapids.
Winstrom also acknowledged that a lack of community support in requesting camera-mounted drones and an "All Access PD" cable docuseries last year on the GRPD influenced his decision to seek employment in Florida.
"Even some elected officials criticized us," Winstrom said. "(They said) 'You can't put out this docuseries because it's making you look good.' So, when you politicize policing, that's a recipe for failure."
Washington says he hopes to appoint an interim police chief next week, and a firm will be secured to conduct a national search for the next permanent chief in Grand Rapids.
Winstrom will assume his duties as police chief in Pensacola on March 2. But he is leaving Grand Rapids with some kind words.
"We have the best city in the country. We have the best police department in the country," Winstrom told reporters at the news conference. "I have made life-long friends with the men and women standing behind you."
Washington credited Chief Winstrom for improving the department during his four-year tenure.
"He really set the example of commitment to this community and this department," he said. "He showed us all what it meant to be committed to serve as a public servant. When I appointed him four years ago, I knew he was a top-tier professional, very talented and proven. And together, we have navigated - him, the department, the community - some very challenging times."
"A police chief's job gets a lot easier when you're in a city that's just 100 percent pro-police," Winstrom said.
He added that he did not expect easy times when he took over in March 2022, but also said he did not expect some of the challenges he encountered. For example, the fatal shooting during a traffic stop of Patrick Lyoya by GRPD Officer Christopher Schurr made national news just a couple weeks after Winstrom became police chief. That led to a mistrial and plenty of controversy.
WOOD Radio News asked Winstrom at Friday's news conference if the fact that the police union in Pensacola supported the acting chief for the job will pose a challenge to him.
"It was a little bit deja vu because four years ago I came as an outsider to Grand Rapids from Chicago," he replied. "There was skepticism."
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