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Grand Rapids Police Chief Rahinsky to step down Dec. 18

Posted at 4:48 PM, Dec 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-05 17:41:16-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police Chief David Rahinsky has announced he soon will be stepping down, after more than four years on the job.

“He plans to resign and begin retirement by moving closer to his family,” says City Manager Mark Washington in a news release issued late Wednesday afternoon.

Chief Rahinsky’s last day in office will be December 18th, and his last day of employment will be February 5, 2019. His replacement has not been announced.

City Manager Washington says the city will work with a national search firm to help find a new chief.  They plan to announce interim leadership within the coming days.

Rahinsky began as the Grand Rapids Police Chief in July 2014. But his career in law enforcement began 32 years ago, as a police officer in Philadelphia.

“Under his leadership, our police department became an early adopter of body-worn cameras and earned its first-ever CALEA accreditation,” the news release says. “He also oversaw the implementation of a bias-free policing policy, youth-interaction policy and officer training for both policies. ”

City Manager Washington says he’ll work with a national search firm to help find a new police chief, and hopes to share in a couple weeks the search plan, “which will include robust engagement with residents, police officers, the business community and other city stakeholders.”

Washington says he’ll be announcing the interim departmental leadership in the “coming days. I want to make sure we get the type of leader who can keep our community safe, lead our officers and continue the important work of strengthening community-police relations.”