GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Police Department says it’s reviewing footage from in-car videos and body-worn cameras related to the recent handcuffing and brief detention of two 11-year-old twin boys.
It happened Sunday night, August 26, near Griggs Street SE and Alto Avenue, in the Burton Heights area.
Police say they also handcuffed a 17-year-old in response to a 911 call about someone in a group of people who was seen with a gun. The GRPD says the three who were stopped fit the “general description” of the suspects from the call, and were in the same “general location”. Evidently, the three who were detained were unarmed.
“We have listened to the audio 911 communication from our dispatch center, and are currently reviewing the footage from the in-car videos and body worn cameras of all officers on-scene, and reviewing all related reports,” say Grand Rapids Police in a news release.
“We have met with community partners, including the local NAACP Chapter President and Executive Team, to provide clarity to the information the officers had at the time and the events as they unfolded”.
The GRPD says it’s trying to keep the lines of communication open, and points to the recently-adopted Youth Interactions Policy, which “empowers
officers to utilize discretion and encourages them to select the most reasonable, and least restrictive alternative consistent with public safety”.
That includes keeping in mind the age-range of the person, and taking “the appropriate action.”
