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From march to meeting: Open forum planned at Grand Rapids Police Department

The latest incident of Grand Rapids Police handcuffing a child created new divides within the community, now local leaders are trying to build and strengthen their ties.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - After last week's handcuffing of a 12-year-old girl in Grand Rapids, Kent County Commissioner, Robert S. Womack called for a march on Sunday, outside police headquarters.

But after meeting with Grand Rapids police chief David Rahinsky, plans for Sunday's event have changed. On Thursday, the two leaders discussed the incident and shared what they have planned.

“The 12-year-old was handcuffed for about a minute or so, which is never going to be a good look," Rahinsky said. "It's never going to be something the public wants to see, it’s never going to be something the police officers want to do.”

Rahinsky said he listened to the initial 911 tape, and trusts the woman who called was sincere. He said his officers responded appropriately.

“When we respond to a call where the complainant said someone's been shot three times and it occurred at this residence, what you did see was officers acting in a manner that protected both themselves and the people that they were coming into contact with,” Rahinsky said.

Back in March, the Grand Rapids Police Department implemented a new Youth Interactions Policy to ensure officers use good judgment and act in the best interest of kids.

“I just believe we need to re-examine the youth initiative policy," Womack said. "The one thing I did see is that the officers followed their protocol, they followed their policy.”

Womack said the policy is a step in the right direction, but there’s still work to do.

“I believe if officers were given a little more discretion to make their decisions on whether they feel safe or not, or whether they should use handcuffs, and be able to come away from the policy and protocol without retribution, I believe we'll have less children being handcuffed,” Womack said.

The March originally planned to address the issue, will lead up to the open forum between the community and police.

“I want to take the opportunity to share our youth interaction policy, so people understand how we make decisions," Rahinsky said. "I want to share the process for making an internal affairs complaint, so no one feels they don't have a voice in the community.”

Members of the department’s training unit will also be there to discuss and answer questions about officers’ decision-making training.

Sunday's forum is from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Police Department. The goal of both leaders is to ensure the voices of community members are heard.

“The Grand Rapids Police Department are opening their doors so we get the chance to do what a march is meant to do, open dialogue,” Womack said.

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