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Kentwood police and fire report rising calls, robbery arrests and active prevention programs
Summary
Fire and police chiefs presented June reports showing higher EMS demand, a small industrial fire, increased community outreach and targeted enforcement that led to arrests in a park robbery series.
Fire Chief Lerman and Police Chief Fleming briefed the City Commission on June activity and trends on July 15.
Fire: Chief Lerman said monthly calls rose about 7 percent year to date and EMS remains the largest category. He described a parts-cleaning machine fire at 4700 Broadmoor (Bosch Fuel Systems) that temporarily halted a press line and required extraction of filters. Lerman also reported increased smoke-detector installations (about 70 installs in the month) and a rise in plan-review activity; fire-prevention inspections totaled 245 for the month.
Police: Chief Fleming reported 1,634 calls for service in June and year-to-date calls of 8,733. Aggravated assaults were higher (22 for the month; 112 year to date), the chief said, with the majority involving people who knew one another and many incidents domestic in nature. Motor-vehicle-theft reports included 13 incidents, and property-crime larcenies trended down. He said detectives and patrol conducted an operation at JC Park that led to arrests; one person was charged in an armed robbery and a firearm was recovered.
Community programs: Fleming highlighted community engagement initiatives'Coffee with a Cop, summer patrol presence at neighborhood events, a youth academy with 11 students in July and a citizens police academy scheduled to start Oct. 3 (weekly Wednesdays, 6—to—9 p.m., through Oct. 8).
Nut graf: The departments reported operational pressures (increased EMS calls and violent incidents in some areas) alongside prevention and engagement work; the police detailed enforcement action that commissioners said had calmed activity at JC Park.
Discussion and follow-up: Commissioners asked whether structure/grass fires cluster in particular areas; Lerman said incidents are broadly distributed but are weather-sensitive. On OWI trends, the police chief said OWI totals fluctuate year to year and that some numbers compared across 2022—to—2023 may underlie perceived increases cited by the judge. No formal commission action was taken on the reports.
Ending: Both chiefs invited commissioners to stay engaged with community programs and to request additional data; Fleming said citizen-survey satisfaction remained high at about 95 percent among respondents.
