Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Gun Violence topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Saginaw police credit multi‑agency response after weekend shootings, say 16 guns seized
Summary
City police and state and federal partners deployed after multiple large gatherings and shootings; chief says officers and partner agencies removed dozens of weapons and arrested suspects after a multi‑location response.
Saginaw police said a multi‑agency response that included Michigan State Police and federal partners removed dozens of guns from city neighborhoods after several large gatherings and shootings over the weekend.
Chief Ruth, the Saginaw police chief, told the council the department "needs" state troopers and federal partners for large‑scale events and credited them with helping to seize weapons and arrest suspects. "We took 16 guns off the street during this so called safe party that they were gonna have," Chief Ruth said. She described one incident in which an armed man fled into a house; officers surrounded the home, ordered occupants out and later found a weapon that matched shell casings recovered at the shooting scene.
The chief said undercover and marked units worked together during the response. She described arrests and citations after officers secured a home where evidence was later found: "The gun was in the house. And it matched shell casings that were found at the scene on Court And State Street." Chief Ruth said officers relied on partnerships with federal and state agencies to handle multiple, simultaneous scenes and to keep residents safe.
City Manager Tim Morales spoke to the broader scale of activity across the city over the weekend and encouraged residents to use official city communications rather than social media for accurate updates; he also thanked responding agencies. Several council members recounted loud incidents and shootings heard and seen by residents, underscoring concern about public safety across multiple neighborhoods.
Council members and the chief discussed enforcement at organized gatherings and the limits of local policing without outside assistance. Chief Ruth said the department brought in federal and state help because the scale of the gatherings created safety risks: "If it wasn't for the federal, state and our local agencies we would have had a mess in the city of Saginaw." She also reiterated the department's focus: removing illegal guns and addressing gun violence linked to public gatherings.
The council did not take a formal policy vote at the meeting; members discussed ongoing cooperation with state and federal partners and asked the chief to provide follow‑up information to the public on notable incidents and outcomes.
Looking ahead, the chief urged residents to remain vigilant and said police will continue partnership operations during large events to reduce the risk of shootings and other violent incidents.
