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Grand Rapids leaders say local policing will not use race‑based criteria after Supreme Court decision
Summary
The mayor of Grand Rapids told the Public Safety Committee he was “shocked and appalled” by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and said the city’s public‑safety agencies will not use skin color as part of probable‑cause assessments.
The mayor of Grand Rapids told the Public Safety Committee he was “shocked and appalled” by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that, in the mayor’s characterization, allowed skin color to be considered in probable‑cause assessments related to immigration enforcement. He said the city will not adopt that approach.
“I was shocked and appalled, to see the Supreme Court say that ... it was appropriate to use skin color as a part of a probable cause assessment,” the mayor said. “I have no doubt at all that that is not something that's not a metric or a rubric or or an assessment that our public safety is going to use ever.”
The mayor framed the city’s position as a values‑based commitment to racial equality and local control of public‑safety priorities: “This is Grand Rapids working to make Grand Rapids safe. ... We are not in the business of doing leg work for a federal government for agendas that may depart from those priorities.”
City Manager and the police chief also addressed related questions. The city manager noted that decisions about the state National Guard are made by the governor and not the city. Chief Windstrom and other public‑safety leaders reiterated that local policing priorities will focus on safety, equity and existing city values rather than federal immigration enforcement directives.
No ordinance or policy change was proposed during the meeting; the remarks articulated the city’s current stance and expectations for local public‑safety practice.
