GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 11, 2021 — Last Thursday, at the opening of the Michigan State Police Grand Rapids Facility, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a $6.35 million investment to get illegal guns off the streets and enhance public safety as part of her larger $75 million MI Safe Communities framework. The $6.35 million would utilize funds from the American Rescue Plan to reduce crime and keep people safe by tackling the court backlog, expanding resources available to law enforcement, and uplifting communities by making investments in jobs, justice and education. In response, state Rep. David LaGrand (D-Grand Rapids) issued the following statement:
“As a former prosecutor and defender, I know the consequences that can occur when a rise in violent crime meets an already overburdened court system. When you have a backlog, you’ve got Michigan citizens waiting far too long for a sentence, and this takes resources away from our justice system and the law enforcement officers in our communities. We need to use everything at our disposal to try to solve this as quickly as possible. That means creating initiatives to get illegal guns off the streets, increasing funding for our courts, reforming our cash bond system and expanding resources for law enforcement, who protect and serve us every day. The investments here will go a long way toward accomplishing these goals.”