GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — There is a new push to increase police officer protection. Back the Blue Michigan is a group organizing this effort in several Michigan cities.
The Grand Rapids chapter handed in a petition on Monday that they claim is 15,000 signatures strong.
The organization wants more guarantees for officers hurt on the job.
"They protect us, and people need to start stepping up and protecting them a little bit more," Back the Blue Michigan Chair Cindy Amante said.
Retired Grand Rapids Police Officer Kathy Clark is backing this effort.
"This is a community effort where the community is standing up and saying, 'You know, while you're out there defending us, we've got your back,'" Clark added.
Clark was on the job for 13 years, working in the patrol division. She explains while working, she was physically hurt more than once on the job.
"I was beaten with my light," Clark said. "I had four breaks in my skull, 14 breaks in my skull."
Back the Blue Michigan has five main pushes to see changes in city charters:
- Prioritize training and body-worn cameras to enhance safety, transparency and accountability.
- Additional life insurance benefits in case of death due to criminal acts.
- Emergency interim family benefits while waiting for life insurance benefits.
- Honor fallen first responder heroes and their families.
- Allow injured first responders to pursue civil action against perpetrators.
"Give them some better benefits, you know, really, and then trying to create some trust within the community again," Amante said. "That'll give them some accountability and some transparency for the community."
The Grand Rapids City Clerk's office is tasked with checking these signatures.
"So our staff will go through all the petitions signature by signature using the qualified voter file, which is the statewide voter list," Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp said.
The clerk adds they have 45 days to sign off on the minimum 7,400 signatures required.
He explained that his team would do what they could and work to get it done earlier so it can be on the November ballot.
"I think the day we have to have the language ... is July 30. So we'll work through our process," Hondorp said.
The organization has also turned in signatures in Livonia, Warren and Sterling Heights.
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