Father appeals findings after daughter's arrest in Vine Street disturbance; prosecutor later dismissed charges

Ronald Gillum told the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeals Board on May 13 that the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety's response to an East Vine Street disturbance in the summer of 2024 was mishandled and that officers unfairly arrested his daughter.

The appeal concerns PCR20240025, a complaint filed after officers responded to a report of assaults involving toy-style "Orbeez" guns in the 700 block of East Vine Street. The investigation, assigned to Sergeant Brandon Noble and later reviewed by the Office of Professional Standards, cleared the involved officers (identified in the complaint as PSO Cody Brink, Peter Radenovic and Matt Harris). Gillum appealed the chief's finding to the city manager, who referred the matter to the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeals Board.

Why it matters: the appeal raises questions about how officers handled a volatile call that included a 911 caller who threatened violence, whether officers adequately separated parties and investigated threats, and whether use of force and arrest procedures were appropriate. The board will review evidence and issue a recommendation to the city manager.

Gillum described arriving after the initial call and said responding officers allowed a caller making threats to remain on scene while his daughter was confronted and arrested. He told the board he had purchased a video of the incident and that the video shows officers did not properly investigate or de-escalate; he said his daughter was mistakenly treated as a male and was "slammed on top of her head" during arrest. Gillum said felony charges against his daughter were later dismissed after prosecutors reviewed the video.

Inspector Chuck Mason of the Office of Professional Standards said officers arrested a resident at the Vine Street address for resisting and obstructing after she exited the house and confronted others at the scene. Mason described the toy guns as soft, water-filled "Orbeez" style weapons popular that summer and said public safety investigated several such reports that season. He told the board the responding officer said he believed the caller's account that someone at the scene had been shot and that officers then conducted an investigation after the arrest.

The hearing record includes a 911 call in which a caller, identified in dispatch as Ashley Howard, repeatedly threatened to "shoot" people and used explicit language while describing a child struck by a projectile. Inspector Mason played dispatch audio and cited the call in explaining the responding officers' context.

Gillum told the board the prosecutor subsequently dismissed the criminal charges against his daughter because the prosecutor concluded there was insufficient evidence of an assault after reviewing the video. When asked, Gillum said the charges were dismissed and that prosecutors said they had "no evidence to proceed with the assault."

Board members asked whether officers separated parties, how the arrest occurred and what evidence the department reviewed. Inspector Mason said officers remained on scene after the arrest to investigate and that the complaint was later reviewed and closed. Gillum criticized the department's handling of notifications and records, saying he did not always receive timely mailings and that he had to obtain video himself.

Next steps: the board will take the inspector's presentation, the appellant's statements and available audio/video into closed deliberation and prepare a written recommendation to the city manager within 14 business days; the city manager will provide the final determination and notify the appellant within 20 business days.