Insider Intelligence

$30 million would be available in grant scholarship funding to help local law enforcement agencies hire more police officers under a program announced by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The Public Safety Academy Assistance Program is a grant scholarship established to help address the need for additional police officers by reducing or eliminating the cost associated with […]

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is calling for a $32 million investment to ensure law enforcement officers have the training and resources they need to effectively fight crime. This is part of the governor’s $75 million MI Safe Communities plan, which was laid out in July, utilizing Federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. The $32 million […]

A bipartisan package of bills, making changes to the practice of policing in the state, was introduced in the Senate this week. Changes within the 12-bill package includes: Requiring the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) to develop guidelines for independent investigations of officer-involved deaths. Requires Use of Force policies for all police agencies. […]

State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks announced two new grant programs, providing $300 million to help first responders receive hazard pay and reimburse local governments for payroll costs incurred due to the pandemic. Effective immediately, eligible local units of government can apply for a grant from the First Responder Hazard Pay Premiums Program and the Public Safety […]

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced additional police reform policies, utilizing a four-pronged approach. The governor’s proposed reforms include: Policy: Ban chokeholds/windpipe blockage. Further limit the use of no-knock warrants. Require “duty to intervene” policies. Classify false, racially-motivated 911 calls as a hate crime. Require in-service training for all licensed law enforcement officers to maintain licensure. Authorize MCOLES to […]

Following a week of protests across the country, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced steps that her administration is taking to enact criminal justice reform. Actions Governor Whitmer is taking: Requesting that the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards provide guidance to law enforcement agencies on continuing education that will help officers keep up with the ever […]

On Thursday, the Senate passed SB 945, introduced by Senator Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), that requires certain training of law enforcement officers beginning in 2022. The bill specifically requires that all incoming law enforcement officers complete training on implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and mental health screenings as part of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement […]

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee reported legislation that makes changes to how law enforcement can conduct certain searches. The package of bills makes several reforms, including: Requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant to search the premises of a person who had objected to a search, even if another person who occupies the […]