VBT PD gives detailed report following protest march against brutality

Van Buren Township police officials gave a detailed report on their department’s arrests for the past two years following the June 12 march against police brutality that ended up at their headquarters.
At the beginning of the June 16 virtual Zoom meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees, Public Safety Director Greg Laurain and Police Chief Jason Wright were present virtually.
Director Laurain said the previous Friday there was a protest without incident with 150 to 200 attendees. He said they made contact with march organizer Survivors Speak and told them VBT police would be there that day to make sure they were safe. He said there was an operational plan.
Laurain said it went two-and-a-half hours without incident, except that a woman collapsed from heat exhaustion.
“I participated and I thought it was well-handled,” said Trustee Sherry Frazier, adding there was a police presence, but not over-presence.
Trustee Kevin Martin said they did an excellent job and people were compliant. He said he appreciated the work the police did and everyone was respectful.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara said the City of Belleville lent the township its officers and he thanked them.
Trustee Paul White said he stayed at the township hall instead of marching. He said he was very thankful it was peaceful and the police did a magnificent job of keeping oversight of this march.
Trustee Reggie Miller said she was unable to attend because she had an injury and was on crutches. She said as leaders they will need to keep watch on this and, “We will shape this process going forward.”
Supervisor McNamara said three years ago VBT adopted President Obama’s deescalating policies.
“I was asked to sign the Obama pledge and I did,” he said.
McNamara said the happiest thing was that the officers’ arms were tired because they were waving at so many citizens who were waving at them.
“Mr. George Floyd has sparked protests,” Laurain said, adding his death was “grotesque, inhumane, and just wrong.”
He said it sickened law enforcement across the country and especially Van Buren Township. He said the township has professionals answering calls.
Because of the actions of a few rogue cops, police policies and procedures are under a microscope and rightly so, he said.
Laurain said the police manual was reformed in 2015 and officers get the latest in contemporary training.
“We prohibit neck holds and restraints… and require verbal warnings before deadly force … and there is comprehensive reporting… It’s already in our manual,” he said.
Chief Wright said the use of force is critical and police leaders need to know the details. He said officers use deescalation, must intercede if excessive force is being used, report excessive force, complete excessive force form and this is reviewed several times. He said excessive force is only when necessary.
Chief Wright said there is annual training on the use of force and yearly reports on what the department does.
Chief Wright said in 2018 there were 23,592 calls for service, 1,394 arrests, and 22 uses of force, which were reviewed and found appropriate.
“People fail to comply causing us to use force,” Wright said, noting a fleeing felon had to be tackled and a taser was pointed at a felon with weapons. And, they had to euthanize a deer that was hurt.
In 2018, of the 22 uses of force, it was 7 female and 15 male; 9 African-Americans and 13 Caucasian, with an average age of 34.
In 2019, there were 24,172 calls for service and 1,549 arrests. There were 36 uses of force – all appropriate – and a couple of animals were euthanized, he said.
In 2019, of the 36 uses of force there were 10 females and 26 males; 22 African-Americans and 15 Caucasian, with an average age of 28.
There were 200 more physical arrests, Wright said.
“We don’t allow any kinds of neck controls,” Wright said.
He said in 2018, they discharged their tasers twice and in 2019 they pointed the tasers three times to get compliance, but there was no firing.
In 2018, one officer was bitten and five subjects were injured, one with a self-inflicted gunshot and one with a self-inflicted cut.
In 2019 one officer was bitten and three had self-inflicted injuries.
“Our officers are deescalating,” Wright said. “We don’t want to hurt anyone and bring improper conduct to the newspapers.”
“We’ve never reported these numbers before,” said Supervisor McNamara.
Trustee Martin thanked Chief Wright for the report, adding this is transparent and it makes the board aware of what township police are doing and how they are trained.
Clerk Leon Wright thanked them for the report and said the township has “a very, very good police department. And, it comes from the top down. Starting with the township board down. Putting out the right message.”
Clerk Wright said, “More is caught than taught. We can talk but how we act makes the difference.”
He said 2% make police departments look bad, 2% elected officials, 2% lawyers.
“You have to put it in action. Kids catch the action they see, not what you tell them. Your actions get their attention,” he said. “You need to walk the talk.”
“I don’t think the rally had much to do with our department at all,” Clerk Wright said. “We want to talk about it.”
Trustee Frazier thanked the director and chief for proactive policing attitude, which is out in front and makes an excellent police force that does their job. People look to the police as their friend and she appreciates them reaching out to the schools, as well.
“I’m proud of our police department and what they’ve done,” said Treasurer Sharry Budd.
Supervisor McNamara said there will be more reports in the future.
“This is a tough job cops have got … That’s why we track these things,” he said, adding the township will join with the City of Belleville in hosting the Listening Tour and it probably will be held at Belleville High School Auditorium.
He said the 18 communities in the Council of Western Wayne and the NAACP will have several stops on its listening tour where they will hear underlying issues.
“It’s our job to listen,” McNamara said.
In other business in the almost two-hour meeting, the board:
• Approved the final reading of an ordinance change to rezone a part of 1043 Savage Rd. from M-1, Light Industrial, to R-1B, Single-Family Residential. This is the sixth parcel rezoned without charge from the township in that area;
• Heard an update on Parks & Recreation reopening of parks;
• Approved an audit by Plante Moran of all township funds for the 2019 fiscal year. The audit received an unmodified opinion, the highest level;
• Learned the COVID-19 activities are costing more than anticipated and so approved adding money to the line item. Treasurer Budd said they got a $25,000 grant and the township added $10,000 which totaled $35,000 in the COVID revenue line item. She said they’ve spent $44,000 so far, so she asked for $60,000 to be put into the COVID expense line item and the board voted unanimously to do so. “We’ll only spend what we need to spend,” Budd said. “The rest will go back anyway”;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara say he wanted the weblink for the Zoom meetings on the front page of the website next time because people are having problems finding how to sign on;
• Heard Clerk Wright announce the township offices will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of the Fourth of July holiday. Also, he said the township has 23,000 registered voters and there have been 4,160 requests for absentee ballots, averaging 300 per day. He said it looks like a record turnout for the primary;
• Heard James Foley say he disagreed with the township board’s vote at the June 2 meeting to not bring the German volunteer to the senior center this year. McNamara said it can be brought back to the agenda if two trustees ask in writing for it to come back and give it to him. Frazier and White said they would do so. Foley said he had more important information to share with the board about the German student who is coming from a community of 36,000 people that had 200 COVID-19 cases and no deaths. He said 50-60 volunteers have been accepted in the U.S. for 2020. “I don’t believe it’s an impossible obstacle to overcome,” Foley said. McNamara said he would talk with Foley the next day; and
• Heard Clerk Wright say some employees have concerns with their health and want to work from home. McNamara said he did not want to discuss this in public.