GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new policing model led to almost immediate changes at Heartside Park, in downtown Grand Rapids. Chief Winstrom says this is only the beginning, thanks to DICE- a policing model that stands for Data Informed Community Engagement.
“GRPD heard appeals directly from the community around Heartside Park, that residents around the area saw an active drug trade, leading to violence and a feeling of being unsafe,” said Chief Winstrom.
Using that information, GRPD identified Heartside as a place where bad things are more likely to happen. Instead of sending officers in, they started a conversation with the people who live and work in the area.
But DICE won't be limited to Heartside Park. With more widespread implementation of the DICE program, GRPD hopes to work towards identifying root problems.
This means officers going door to door in other spots identified as having high-crime- by suspicions or by assumptions but by cold, hard facts.
Officers in the Eastern and South districts are going door-to-door right now as part of DICE, to ask community members what they want, what the root problems are, and how to solve them, with Chief Winstrom saying that the more they can pinpoint the problem, the more they can hope to combat the narrative that they're attempting over-police certain communities.
“The next move isn’t deploy our resources there. The next move is to meet with community. And find out what we can offer community,” said Chief Winstrom.
Some spots of the city experience crime more than others. One such spot is the South District, where Captain Trigg run things.
“At the end of the day, affect a change, and improve the quality of life in that neighborhood. From what I’m hearing.. there’s a lot of gun crimes going on in that neighborhood. And the residents want to see some action," said Captain Trigg.
By doing things differently, Captain Trigg is hopeful for better outcomes at one specific intersection in the South District, that of Eastern Avenue and Martin Luther King Street- so that more places can become like Heartside Park today for longer than an afternoon.
