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3 GRPD officers suspended without pay over Kuiper traffic incident

Posted at 11:41 PM, Jan 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-28 12:00:36-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich -- On Friday, police announced three officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department have been suspended without pay following a traffic incident reportedly involving a former assistant prosecutor late last year.

Back on November 19, police say Assistant Prosecutor Josh Kuiper was driving the wrong way on Union Avenue and struck a parked car.  They said he admitted to consuming alcohol before driving, but he only received a ticket and was then escorted to a relative’s home instead of being arrested at the scene.

A few weeks later, GRPD opened an internal investigation into whether Kuiper was given special treatment because of his position.  Sgt. Terry Dixon says the investigation was turned over to the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Officials say further action for the officers may be taken after a termination hearing takes place. No date for the hearing has been set.