Chief Richard Roberts is sworn in as the new City of Kentwood Police Department’s leader. (Supplied)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood has promoted Richard Roberts to chief of the Kentwood Police Department.
Roberts succeeds former Police Chief Thomas Hillen, who retired after a distinguished law enforcement career spanning four decades – including more than 10 years with the City of Kentwood. In his new role, Roberts will lead a team of nearly 95 personnel, including 70 sworn police officers.
As chief, Roberts will work to reinforce the department culture, aim to recruit and hire individuals who are representative of Kentwood’s diverse community and collaborate with other departments on efforts that benefit the community at-large. He will also continue to provide the best training and equipment possible and hold the department accountable under best practices and policies through State of Michigan Accreditation.
“Throughout Chief Roberts’ more than three decades of service to the City of Kentwood, he has played an integral role in creating a positive culture and fulfilling the department’s mission,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said. “He is the best candidate to continue the tremendous service provided by our department under Thomas Hillen’s tenure.
“I have complete confidence he will continue to demonstrate outstanding leadership and dedication in his new role. I look forward to future departmental accomplishments achieved under his supervision.”
Roberts first joined the Kentwood Police Department in 1987 as a police paramedic. During his more than 30 years with the City of Kentwood, Roberts has served in many different roles, including 24 years of supervisory and management experience, giving him a thorough knowledge of police operations.
In addition to his paramedic experience, he also served as a detective, field training officer, field training supervisor, road patrol supervisor, Staff Services Bureau supervisor and Detective Bureau supervisor. He also served on the crisis negotiating team.
Roberts was promoted to captain of the Patrol Division in December 2012, where he implemented the Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, program before being appointed deputy police chief in August 2017. He is the first in Kentwood to move through the ranks from patrol officer to police chief.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve our community with the great men and women of the Kentwood Police Department in this capacity,” Roberts said. “We will continue to commit ourselves to serving the community with excellence and seeking opportunities to increase our value of service.”
Roberts recently attended the prestigious FBI National Academy, an executive school for law enforcement, which has some of the best training a law enforcement executive can obtain. Participation is by invitation only, through a nomination process. Participants are drawn from every U.S. state and territory and from international partner nations.
He has also completed a number of leadership courses, including Grand Valley State University’s project management within criminal justice agencies, Michigan State University’s leadership and risk management, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police Executive School and Grand Rapids Police Department’s Leadership Institute.
Roberts is a member of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, Michigan Municipal League’s Law Enforcement Action Forum, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and FBI National Academy Associates.
Prior to joining the Kentwood Police Department, he served as deputy corrections officer at the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and as a Roosevelt Park police officer. He received his associate degree in criminal justice from Grand Rapids Community College and is a graduate of Northwestern University Traffic Institute’s police staff and command.
The Health Forum of West Michigan event hosted by Grand Valley State University last week included panelists, from left, Andrew Brisbo, executive director of the new Marijuana Regulatory Agency for the State of Michigan; Dr. Mandeep Bath, addiction psychiatrist for Pine Rest; Scott Rifenberg, deputy chief, Grand Rapids Police Department; and John Titley, partner and corporate attorney for Varnum LLP. (GVSU/Kendra Stanley-Mills)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
A panel of experts on the medical and legal aspects of existing medical, and pending recreational, marijuana use discussed a multitude of issues at Health Forum of West Michigan event hosted by Grand Valley State University last week.
While the event was focused on the implications of legalized marijuana for the health care industry, a wide range of information was presented and topics discussed, including how police will deal with suspected driving under the influence of marijuana, the current medical-community research on the short- and long-term effects of marijuana use, and ongoing state regulatory actions in preparation for the pending legalization of recreational marijuana.
Adult-use retail sales of marijuana is set to start by the end of the first quarter 2020, and while many local cities and townships have opted-out of having legal marijuana sales within their jurisdiction — including both Kentwood and Wyoming — the state is busy establishing rules and regulations associated with its sales and use.
At the forum, Andrew Brisbo, executive director of the new Marijuana Regulatory Agency for the State of Michigan, discussed the state’s new recreational marijuana commercial licensing and regulatory program, including that there will be a 10 percent excise tax collected on sales to fund state and local regulation and enforcement costs, that there is an initial $6,000 application fee and that the actual license fee will range from 3,000-$50,000, and that there will be specific rules for consumption at temporary events and “designated consumption establishments.”
The Nov. 1 free-to-the-pubic event was part of a planned series of health-care related forms hosted by the university’s Office of the Vice Provost for Health in the DeVos Center, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
The Health Forum of West Michigan event hosted by Grand Valley State University last week included panelists, from left, Andrew Brisbo, executive director of the new Marijuana Regulatory Agency for the State of Michigan; Dr. Mandeep Bath, addiction psychiatrist for Pine Rest; Scott Rifenberg, deputy chief, Grand Rapids Police Department; and John Titley, partner and corporate attorney for Varnum LLP. (GVSU/Kendra Stanley-Mills)
Other panelists included Dr. Mandeep Bath, addiction psychiatrist for Pine Rest; Scott Rifenberg, deputy chief, Grand Rapids Police Department; and John Titley, partner and corporate attorney for Varnum LLP.
Bath detailed known and in-study health issues involving marijuana use, and included in his details were:
Approximately 2.6 percent to 5 percent of the global population (119-221 million individuals) use cannabis, with the rate of cannabis use in high-income countries almost twice the rate in low-income countries. A 2013 survey reported 7 percent of 8th graders, 18 percent of 10th graders, 22.7 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in past month up from 5.8 percent, 13.8 percent and 19.4 percent survey results from 2008.
Medical studies suggest 8.9 percent of cannabis users would become dependent on cannabis at some point in their lives.
While most of Dr. Bath’s discussion contained dry if sobering information, one bit of medical data drew a humorous reaction:
“During intoxication, user’s sociability and sensitivity to certain stimuli like colors is heightened, perception of time is altered, and appetite to sweet and fatty foods is stimulated,” he said, reading from a powerpoint script, before adding impromptu, “… the munchies.”
The event was moderated by Susan DeVuyst-Miller is associate professor of pharmacy practice at Ferris State University and clinical pharmacist for Cherry Health Services.
The next Health Forum of West Michigan will be “New Discoveries in Genetics” on Friday, Dec. 6, with guest Caleb Bupp, M.D., a medical geneticist with Spectrum Health.
GVSU’s DeVos Center us located at 401 Fulton St. W.. For more information on planned health forums, visit gvsu.edu/vphealth .
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, a special interview with retiring Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen, who after more than 10 years leading the department — and more than four decades in public safety — is moving on to what’s next in his life.
During his tenure in Kentwood, he has led a team of more than 90 personnel, including 70 sworn police officers. Among the many accomplishments of his tenure was placing a local officer on the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force and appointing the first female captain in the department’s history.
We talk with The Chief about his career, his department’s accomplishments, and how law enforcement has changed since he first sat in a patrol car — and believe us and him, a lot has changed.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
While local groups will take back un-used or unwanted prescription drugs all year, every year National Drug Take Back Day — this year Saturday, Oct. 26 — focuses local efforts including those in Kentwood and Wyoming.
The need for prescription drug recovery range from keeping them out of the illegal marketplace to protecting public water supplies and wildlife from possible exposure.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses the Kentwood Police Department. (WKTV)
In Kentwood, the Kentwood Police Department will take back prescription pills and patches at 4742 Walma Ave SE, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in a service that is “free and anonymous, no questions asked,” according to supplied material. (The Department cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.)
In Wyoming, the City of Wyoming is once again partnering with Metro Health-University of Michigan Health to provide a location for residents to dispose of unused medications safely and properly. Persons can drop off expired, unused prescriptions and even over-the-counter medications at Metro Health Hospital lobby, 5900 Byron Center Ave., also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Call 616-252-7117 with any questions.)
Kent County also spearheads year-around efforts for drug take back. The Kent County Department of Public Works has established the SafeMeds Program that includes a list of many local pharmacies and law enforcement agencies that will accept unwanted medications. (For more on the SafeMeds Program, visit here.)
The efforts, both locally and nationally, are driven by high rates of abuse of unused prescription drugs as well as concerns of public water contamination due to those drugs being disposed of improperly, including simply flushed down toilets.
Last fall, Americans turned in nearly 469 tons (more than 937,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 6,300 sites operated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and almost 5,000 state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 17 previous Take Back events, the DEA and its partners have taken in more than 11.8 million pounds — approximately 5,900 tons — of pills, according to supplied material.
In Kentwood, the Kentwood Police Department will be giving the public its 18th opportunity in nine years to “prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs,” according to supplied material.
This initiative focuses on medicines that languish in home cabinets and are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows, year after year, that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.
While information is scarce, according to a 2002 analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey of 139 streams across 30 states it was found that 80 percent of waterways tested had measurable concentrations of prescription and nonprescription drugs, steroids and reproductive hormones.
According to a 2018 report in healthline.com, bay mussels in Washington’s Puget Sound tested positive for oxycodone, an opioid prescription analgesic. Pharmaceutical contamination in aquatic wildlife also potentially raises the risk for more human contact through direct consumption of these animals.
Pharmaceutical and hormonal contaminants, including bisphenol-A, antibiotics, and opiates, are being detected in a significant portion of the United States groundwater supply for drinking water.
While researchers say that the levels detected are unlikely to cause any harmful effects, it is unknown what, if any, amount of these chemicals will make it through water treatment to the tap.
The problem of unused prescription drugs generated by nursing homes is also a factor in there problem. While there is little nationwide estimates on the issue, another report details how Colorado officials in 2017 said the state’s 220 long-term care facilities throw away 17.5 tons of potentially reusable drugs every year, with a price tag of about $10 million.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimated in 2015 that about 740 tons of drugs are wasted by nursing homes each year.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs, visit the DEA website here.
Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen, from a city event this summer. (Photo credit: WKTV)
By City of Kentwood
After a distinguished law enforcement career spanning more than four decades, Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen announced his retirement, effective Nov. 1.
Hillen began his 10-plus years of service to the City of Kentwood in 2009 after serving 32 years with the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. During his tenure with the Kentwood Police Department, Hillen has led a team of nearly 95 personnel, including 70 sworn police officers, to serve and protect the community with excellence, focusing on reducing serious crime and increasing traffic safety.
“Chief Hillen has been an invaluable asset to our community for more than a decade,” said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley. “His effective leadership and dedication to the City have been demonstrated by the department’s accomplishments. Today, Kentwood’s violent crime and property crime is at a five-year low under his leadership. For that and so much more, we are truly grateful for his service.
“While we are sad to see him go, we wish him the best as he moves into retirement and thank him for his service throughout the years.”
During his tenure in Kentwood, Hillen instituted innovative programs to address key issues in the community, such as the department’s Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, program, Operation PRICE to reduce retail theft, leadership development for supervisory staff and school resource officers for area middle schools.
He also placed an officer on the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force and appointed the first female captain in the department’s history.
“I have been fortunate to have had two great law enforcement careers, both at the Sheriff’s Office and here at the City,” Hillen said. “It has been a pure joy to spend these past 10 years with the Kentwood Police Department and I will greatly miss the family atmosphere.
“I’m humbled by the department’s achievements and feel grateful to have had the opportunity to work here and serve alongside the team. The officers care for the community, and the community cares for the officers. That is what makes it special to be an officer in the City of Kentwood; it’s just different here.
“Our success is attributed to our combined efforts, and I can proudly say this has been the perfect capstone experience of a profession I have loved.”
In addition to his work with the department, Hillen has served in numerous leadership roles for the profession. He has served as president of the Kent County Chiefs of Police, chairman of Kent County’s Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Team and has been on the advisory boards for the police academies at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Kent Career Technical Center.
He is also a member of the Law Enforcement Action Forum, also known as LEAF, assisting with the development of law enforcement model policies and related materials. Over the years, LEAF has grown to be a valuable resource for the Michigan Municipal League and other agencies in the state when addressing law enforcement public policy issues.
Hillen was KCSO’s chief deputy before coming to Kentwood to serve as captain of the Patrol Division. Hillen stepped into the role of police chief from deputy chief in November 2012 following the retirement of former Police Chief Richard Mattice.
“Chief Hillen worked hard every day for the community. He constantly ensured his whole team fought around a problem and worked to innovate and get the best out of the resources available,” said Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young, who worked with Hillen for more than 20 years. “He was a mentor for me and helped me be better at my job in the jobs I would hold in the future. I wish him the best of times in his well-earned retirement.”
Mayor Kepley intends to appoint Deputy Chief Richard Roberts to fill the police chief position. City Commission will be asked to confirm the appointment.
Roberts first joined the Kentwood Police Department in 1987, initially as a police paramedic. During his more than 30 years with the City of Kentwood, including 24 years of supervisory and management experience, Roberts has served in many different roles, giving him a diverse knowledge of police operations.
In addition to his paramedic experience, he also served as a detective, field training officer, field training officer supervisor, road patrol supervisor, Staff Services Bureau supervisor and Detective Bureau supervisor. He also served on the crisis negotiating team. Roberts was promoted to captain of the Patrol Division in December 2012, where he implemented the DDACTS program, and was appointed deputy police chief in August 2017.
Roberts recently attended the prestigious FBI National Academy, an executive school for law enforcement, which has some of the best training a law enforcement executive can obtain. Participation is by invitation only, through a nomination process. Participants are drawn from every U.S. state and territory and from international partner nations.
“We have made it a priority to focus on internal leadership development, and Deputy Chief Roberts has been an integral part of our leadership team since I became police chief,” Hillen said. “With his three decades of service to the City of Kentwood, there is no doubt in my mind he is dedicated to this profession, the City and our department.
“He knows our culture and has a passion for overcoming our challenges. His service to the community has been unquestionable and I have the utmost faith he will continue to provide exemplary leadership as police chief.”
Hillen and his wife, Sueann, plan to spend the winter in Florida and see where life takes them next.
From last year’s “Connecting the Dots” event. (HQ)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing, two local groups which play “distinct and invaluable roles in the process of moving youth from crisis to housed,” will be hosting a collaborative fundraising event later this month in Grandville.
“Connecting the Dots: Walking with Youth from Crisis to Housed” will take place Thursday, Oct. 10, from 6-9 p.m., at the Grandville Banquet Center.
The event is “an exclusive evening of inspiration, food, and learning as we share the innovative collaboration between HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing,” according to supplied material.
“Our organizations serve youth experiencing homelessness or unsafe housing in Kent County. Together, HQ and 3:11 are modeling the power of intentional collaboration, highlighting how organizations can create a greater impact by working together. We believe when organizations intentionally partner to provide a continuum of services, youth are able to overcome crisis sooner and our Grand Rapids community is stronger.”
The event will include the opportunity to mingle and network during a cocktail hour including appetizers, a presentation sharing about the collaborative work of HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing, a sit-down dinner with dessert, an opportunity to win prizes and, most importantly, the “opportunity to make an impact by supporting the work of HQ and 3:11 Youth Housing.”
HQ is a drop-in center serving youth ages 14 to 24, according to supplied material. It offers a “safe space that provides rest, resources, and readiness to youth experiencing unsafe or unstable housing and other forms of crisis.” Youth have access to basic needs such as hot meals, showers, and laundry. Additionally, youth are connected to community partners and resources that help provide advocacy services, education & employability skill-building, and connections to affordable housing.
Youth at HQ have the opportunity to be referred to housing with 3:11 and other partners.
3:11 Youth Housing. according to supplied material, “develops safe, affordable housing for youth ages 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness and partners in their transition to healthy interdependence.” Four components essential to 3:11’s model are safe and affordable housing, house mentoring, case management, and alumni support.
The Grandville Banquet Center is located at 2900 Wilson Avenue SW, Grandville. Tickets are $85, are available here.
In the wake of recent mass shootings, state and federal efforts to introduce and pass so-called “Red Flag” laws — which would allow persons with access to guns to be investigated as being possible dangers to themselves and others, and to give authorities the ability to seize that person’s guns — was one topic discussed as part of a wide-ranging inter-governmental leaders meeting Monday, Aug. 12, at the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s Government Matters Committee’s monthly forum at Wyoming City Hall.
With bipartisan bills being introduced both in Lansing and in Washington, D.C., Peter Dickow, West Michigan Regional Director for U.S. Sen Gary Peters (D-Mi.) echoed other leader at the meeting by saying: “There is room for common sense legislation” on this issue.
The Government Matters meeting brings together representatives from the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood, Kent County commissioners, local Michigan state senators and representatives, as well as often representatives of Michigan’s U.S. senators and U.S. congressman who represent the Wyoming and Kentwood area.
The next meeting will be Sept. 9 at Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW, from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The intergovernmental discussion hosted by the chamber focuses on issues that effect residents and businesses in the two cities.
For more information about the chamber and Government Matters visit southkent.org.
The meetings are on the second Monday of each month, starting at 8 a.m. WKTV Journal will produce a highlight story after the meeting. But WKTV also offers replays of the latest meeting on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., as well as on select Saturdays, on Comcast Cable Government Channel 26. For a highlight schedule of WKTV cable programs visit wktvjournal.org .
Wage theft can occur everywhere, in offices, on construction sites and in farm fields. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, last week announced he is conducting an investigation into illegal wage theft practices that “harm American workers.” And he is asking for worker input on possible wage theft in their lives.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
In a statement issued by his office, “wage theft violates basic fair pay laws and denies workers a fair wage for their work. It takes many forms, including failure to pay the applicable minimum wage, failure to compensate employees for overtime, and misclassifying employees as ‘independent contractors’ to avoid paying certain benefits or taxes.”
“If you put in a hard day’s work, you deserve to get paid for it,” Sen. Peters said in the statement. “Yet every day, workers in Michigan and across the country are denied wages or benefits they have earned on the job. This investigation will help expose wage theft and develop ways to hold employers who break the rules accountable for actions that hurt hardworking families.”
As part of the investigation, Sen. Peters’ office would like to hear from workers who have been victims of wage theft, including instances where rightfully earned wages have been withheld or wages or benefits have been denied for work as an employee or independent contractor. Workers who have experienced wage theft can share their information with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
To share personal experiences which workers think might be wage theft, please visit here.
According to the statement from Sen. Peters’ office, wage theft has serious financial consequences for workers and businesses who are trying to play by the rules. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that American workers are shorted as much as $15 billion in wages each year due to minimum wage law violations. And Michigan reportedly has the fifth highest total of unpaid wages in the country due to minimum wage violations.
According to EPI, from 2013 to 2015, roughly $430 million in wages were improperly withheld from Michigan workers. Misclassifying workers as “independent contractors” also negatively impacts law-abiding taxpayers.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, millions of employers nationwide have failed to pay more than $45 billion in employment taxes. These practices deprive the federal government of billions of dollars in unpaid employment taxes that are used to fund Social Security, Medicare and other benefits.
In Michigan alone, a study released in 2008 found that Michigan loses tens of millions of dollars annually from misclassification practices – depriving the state of dollars for projects like highway and infrastructure upgrades, educational programs, or public hospitals.
A girl waves to her brother, who is being shown the inside of a police car at a National Night Out event at Woodland Mall. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
National Night Out, which was held at various locations around the region Aug. 6, is always a chance for City of Kentwood leaders and public service staff to get out and mix with the pubic.
In Kentwood alone there were more than 20 block parties, neighborhood events and other activities with Kentwood police officers, firefighters, city leaders and McGruff the Crime Dog joining residents for the annual community-building night.
The events — held this year at Woodland Mall, The Pentecostals Church and Faith Church on 44th Street SE, and South United Methodist Church on South Division Avenue; to name only a few — may seem routine to some city representatives. But for City of Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen and his police force the routine is always a welcome “opportunity” to mix with the residents they serve and, sometimes, create special moments.
City of Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. (WKTV)
“This is one more opportunity for us to interact with our community,” Chief Hillen, who toured several locations with Mayor Stephen Kepley, said to WKTV. “At their house or at their church, where there is really no barriers and they can ask us any questions they want.
“If they want to know what is going on in their neighborhood, we can tell them. We get an opportunity to find out what their concerns are. It is just an opportunity for us to, again, engage with the public in one-on-one setting.”
While the Chief Hillen and his police officers were more than welcomed by Pastor Jay Jones at The Pentecostals Church, where WKTV caught up with the Chief, that is not always the case.
In fact, when asked about a special memory of National Night Out, Chief Hillen told a story which exemplifies the dedication of his police force.
“We have 22 events like this throughout the city and it is always amazing to me,” he said. “But there was this one, this large apartment complex that we were trying to outreach to because we had some issues in that (complex). But we could not get a commitment, we could not get assistance, from the apartment facility.
“So, our officers took it upon themselves to throw their own party, because we knew there were a lot of kids in there. We knew there were a lot of people who wanted to talk to us but they were afraid to. So, the officers reached out the business community, who provided bikes and helmets and hotdogs. And we went in the threw our on party for the community, and it was well received. Its the kind of thing that just kind of touches your heart. Its why its different being in Kentwood.”
Kent County Emergency Manager Lt. Lou Hunt today released a statement to inform the general public about a planned test of the country’s Emergency Alert System.
As part of the statement, Lt. Hunt states: “This is only a test and is not a real event. No action is needed by the public. It is also important to know this test does not include wireless emergency alerts, so alerts broadcast through wireless devices such as cellphones are not expected nor being tested. Rather, this test is aimed at traditional alerting methods such as radio and television.”
Following is the complete statement:
FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission and radio and television Emergency Alert System (EAS) participants, will conduct a nationwide test of the EAS beginning at 2:20 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. A backup date is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21, 2019, if needed. The test will assess the operational readiness of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructures for distribution of a national message that could be urgent and lifesaving and determine whether technological improvements are warranted.
The test of the EAS will broadcast a test message that is approximately one minute long. Broadcast radio and television, cable, wireline service providers, and direct broadcast satellite service providers will each broadcast the test message once within a few minutes of the test. The national EAS test message will look and sound similar to the regular Required Monthly Test messages broadcast by all EAS participants. The EAS test message is expected to have limited impact on the public with only a minor interruption to regular radio and television programs. The EAS test message will be:
“This is a test of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communication Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert, you heard at the start of this message. No action is required.”
Kent County 17th Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Feeney, with one of the West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. dogs and handler, at City of Wyoming’s 62-A District Court. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Kai and Bentley, a German Shepard and a Goldendoodle, respectively, were friendly but not very talkative as they were introducing themselves around City of Wyoming’s 62-A District Court earlier this summer as part of Kent County’s Courthouse Therapy Dog Program pending expansion.
That’s okay, though, it’s sort of what they are trained to do as therapy dogs: to present a smiling dog face, a scratch-able ear, and a transferable sense of calmness to humans in stressful situations.
And, anyway, as WKTV hung out with Kai and Bentley and several of their 4-legged friends while the dogs prepared to start duty in Wyoming, their West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. handlers and Kent County 17th Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Feeney — a driving force behind the program — had plenty to say on the dog’s behalf.
“They have been going to the different courthouses, getting used to the victim witness units, and in the courtrooms,” Judge Feeney said to WKTV in late June. “So they could be available for children who are victims of crime … and for vulnerable adults, who are also preyed upon, unfortunately, in criminal circumstances.
“We work them (the dogs) in two-hour shifts because that is about all they can handle because, believe it or not, they absorb a lot of the stress the kids are under.”
As of last week, Judge Feeney said several dogs have been “trained for Wyoming, Walker and Grandville (courts), as well as the 63rd and 61st District courts,” but have not yet started working in Wyoming.
Several of the West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. dogs and handlers at City of Wyoming’s 62-A District Court. (WKTV)
In late 2018, Kent County’s Courthouse Therapy Dog Program began a trial effort in Judge Feeney’s court, along with the 61st and 63rd District Courts in Kent County. The program is a joint effort of Judge Feeney, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and his office, as well as with West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc.
“Prosecutor Chris Becker and I had talked about having dogs brought into the courthouse for a couple years now, and when we started hearing about more and more courts in Michigan having dogs coming into the courthouse, courthouse dogs … We thought, OK, we need to start looking into this more, and he was very open to it,” she said.
Maybe not so incidentally, Judge Feeney has a personal connection to therapy dogs and to the local therapy dog group.
Kent County Circuit Court Family Division Judge Kathleen A. Feeney. (Supplied)
“My now four-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, Rosie, is a West Michigan Therapy dog,” she said. “So we do dog therapy, in addition to the 400 other people who belong to this organization throughout West Michigan. And so I thought, okay, this is perfect. Let’s see if we can’t bring West Michigan Therapy Dogs into the prosecutor’s office and the courts.”
And the trial program, less than a year old, is already proving its success.
“The evolution is how people are valuing it, Judge Feeney said. “At first we only got a couple calls from victims or victim advocates … for dogs, but all of a sudden, they started seeing how positive it was for the victims, for the families, who are also very stressed and concerned about what is going on. Now there are a lot more requests.”
So what sort of dogs work well as therapy dogs? Just how do they do their jobs? Kai and Bentley let their handlers tell us.
Kai. (WKTV)
Kai’s “been doing therapy work for two years. He’s an 8-year-old dog and he’s been a court dog since October (2018),” Mary Hovingh said to WKTV. His “personality is calm, sweet, and in his case, he likes kids. Everything he does as a therapy dog is with children, no adults.
“I read the child. If the child does not want to touch the dog, they can sit near the dog, play games. If they want to pet the dog, they can. I’ve had kids show him pictures, they’ll read a book and show him a picture. And he will, oddly, look at the pictures.”
Mary Hovingh. (WKTV)
Hovingh explained that in addition to working in courts, “my dog goes to schools, he’s up to eight or nine different schools now, during the school year. And he does libraries. About a third of his people, the children who read to him, are special needs kids. He has ridiculous amounts of patience for children.”
Three-year-old Bentley, according to handler Val Bares, has a similar demeanor and work ethic.
Bentley. (WKTV)
“What traits make a good therapy dog?” she repeated a question from WKTV. “Mostly you look at the personality, you want the dog to be friendly with people. There are people dogs and there are dog dogs, and you want a people dog, one that loves to be petted. Their temperament is key. You want them to be calm.”
Bentley and Bares have been together since he was a puppy, and they work together in hospitals, a burn unit camp and at an assisted living center, she said. And she would not trade her work with Bentley for anything.
“I don’t know where it is more rewarding, for him or for me,” she said. “ Their intuition to people that are hurting or that are sad, is just unbelievable. It is such a blessing to be able to do this with him, in this program.”
The City of Kentwood has held two previous Plan Kentwood community information gathering events. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
City of Kentwood staff will be doing double duty Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Woodland Mall as the city will take advantage of the crowd attending National Night Out events to offer information and take comments on the city’s in-work “Plan Kentwood” master plan update.
During the same hours, 3-5 p.m., Kentwood Police Department staff and emergency vehicles will be present both inside and outside at the mall for public viewing and exploration — see a previous WKTV story on the National Night Out events — and city planning staff will be present to discuss planned and possible future planning of the 28th Street and 29th Street commercial corridor.
Kentwood planning staff and leaders such as Mayor Stephen Kepley, shown in middle, at a previous Plan Kentwood event. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
The August planning community event is the third of four events offered because the city “is updating its long-range vision for growth, land use, development and open space conservation, known as the Master Plan, and is seeking public input on proposed changes through Plan Kentwood, a community engagement series,” the city has previously stated in a press release.
The Master Plan is an official public document adopted by the Kentwood Planning and City Commissions. The current forward-looking development plan considers residents’ and property owners’ long-range goals and desires, as well as local, regional and market trends. It consists of goals, policies and recommended actions to guide land use decision-making for Planning Commissioners and City Commissioners during the next 20 years.
The Plan is reviewed at least every five years but is modified and updated as deemed necessary by the City Commission. The most recent update was completed in 2012.
“The Master Plan is not a law or ordinance, but rather a guide for decisions to support how growth and conservation will take place in the City. We welcome all community members to be a part of the conversation,” Kentwood Community Development Director Terry Schweitzer said previously. “We look forward to engaging with residents, businesses and property owners for community feedback as we plan for Kentwood’s future development.”
At the Aug. 6 event, staff will be inside Woodland Mall at a table to gather input on the future planning of the 28th Street and 29th Street commercial corridor. The corridor consists of a wide range of development – from high-end boutiques, major regional malls and local retailers, to many national dining, service and product franchises. Public input gathered will focus on how to improve its effectiveness as a transportation corridor, and as a business and employment center, according to the city.
The final event, “Designing Division,” will be hosted at Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. Community members are encouraged to join for an evening of ice cream and discussions on the future of the Division Avenue corridor with the City of Kentwood, the City of Wyoming and the Division Avenue Business Association. Division Avenue is a key gateway corridor to both the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming, requiring cooperation between the two communities.
More information about the Master Plan update is available at kentwood.us/PlanKentwood. Questions or comments may be directed to Community Development Director Terry Schweitzer at schweitzert@kentwood.us; 616-554-0710, or Economic Development Planner Lisa Golder at golderl@kentwood.us; 616-554-0709.
A video produced by the City of Kentwood and WKTV Community Media.
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood will be bustling with block parties, neighborhood events and other activities on Tuesday, Aug. 6, as part of the community’s celebration of National Night Out.
Kentwood police officers, firefighters and City leaders will join residents at more than 20 gatherings planned for the annual community-building event, most of which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.
National Night Out began in the 1980s with a goal to promote safer, better neighborhoods by uniting community members and police against neighborhood crimes. Every year, events are held nationwide on the first Tuesday in August to encourage citizens to turn their porch lights on and come out outside to meet their neighbors.
“National Night Out provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the City of Kentwood really is a community effort,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said. “The City’s entire leadership team is looking forward to celebrating the strong sense of community that exists in Kentwood and helping to promote the practice of neighbors caring for neighbors.”
The Kentwood Police Department has partnered with Woodland Mall to offer community members an up-close look at emergency vehicles both outside and throughout the mall from 3 to 5 p.m. Large emergency vehicles will be on display outside by Celebration! Cinema, while other vehicles will be placed throughout the mall for shoppers to learn about and explore. A table featuring Kentwood Police Department giveaways will be located in the Barnes and Nobles wing.
In addition, several public community-based events will be hosted from 6 to 8 p.m. and feature a variety of activities, including appearances from McGruff the Crime Dog. Locations of those events include:
Pentecostals Church, 2627 44th St. SE, will host a party featuring a bounce house, free meal, face painting, music, carnival games and other kids’ activities.
South United Methodist Church, 4500 S. Division Ave., will have free ice cream and hot dogs, a live band, door prizes and a small water slide for young children.
Faith Church, 1412 44th St. SE, will have food trucks and a live band.
“A strong alliance with law enforcement is necessary for fostering safer neighborhoods,” Police Chief Thomas Hillen said. “Members of our department enjoy any opportunity to connect with residents, but National Night Out in particular offers a great opportunity to build positive relationships and create open lines of communication.”
More information about National Night Out events in Kentwood is available at kentwood.us/NNO.
Contrary what you might have recently smelled at local concert venues, if not on the main streets of Michigan, smoking marijuana is legal but — currently — not if you bought it or if you are lighting it up in public.
Didn’t know those facts? Don’t feel alone.
With extensive government regulation and rules still being written, it still a little cloudy on the laws surrounding the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which Michigan voters approved last fall and which legalized adult recreational marijuana use.
To find out just what is legal and what is not, currently and possibly in the future, WKTV sat down with Christopher R. Becker, Kent County Prosecuting Attorney. And from what he said, smokers are not the only ones a little hazy on the subject — to some Michiganders it is unclear if legal marijuana use it is actually the law of the land already.
“Legalization actually went into effect in December (2018), just about a month from it being passed,” said Becker, who was elected to the position in 2016 and leads the prosecutor’s office team of more than 30 attorneys. “The best description would probably be that it is in a transition stage right now.”
As far as the current laws governing several situations of illegal use and possession, Becker said, “for the vast majority of cases it is a civil infraction … There are some unique things, criminally. But then for the rest, the infrastructure if you will, the dispensary, the system to distribute it … the state is still working through getting that all set up right now.”
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is the government body drafting the state’s rule and regulations. But at this point, it is legal to possess marijuana but there is no place to buy it — legally.
“Essentially, that is what it is,” Becker said. “If you are over 21, you can have it in your possession, you can smoke it in your own house, you can share it — and that is a very important term. … (selling it, or supplying it ‘with remuneration’) is still illegal.”
Becker, in the WKTV Journal In Focus interview, also went on to detail the current laws of public consumption, the evolving laws — and flaws in the laws— associated with driving in possession and while under the influence, and other current and possible legal aspects of legal recreational marijuana.
In the interview, Becker also talked about his office’s work with new and innovative justice system programs in Kent County, including Restorative Justice for Juveniles, and courthouse therapy dogs for children and vulnerable adult victims.
He also addressed recent criticism of Michigan’s prosecutors from the Michigan ACLU, associated with the group’s Smart Justice Campaign, focused on the rights of poor and minority persons charged with crimes but not convicted. See a WKTV story on the ACLU’s Smart Justice campaign here.
Background on MRTMA and local reaction
On Nov. 6, 2018, Michigan voters approved Proposal 18-1, which created the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act (MRTMA) and legalized adult marijuana use for recreational purposes. This law automatically “opts-in” all municipalities, but each municipality can decide the extent to which it may limit or prohibit state-licensed recreational marijuana establishments prior to a December 2019 deadline.
Many municipalities across the state are waiting on their “opt-in or opt-out” decision until the state finishes writing the rules for the new adult-use marijuana industry, expected to be in draft form in June. But Wyoming and Kentwood did not wait around.
The City of Kentwood City Commission, in November of 2018, just after the proposal was approved, voted in favor of an amendment to the city code to prohibit marijuana establishments within the city, according to media reports.
The City of Wyoming’s City Council, in December of 2018, adopted a pair of ordinance amendments: one prohibits the operation of both recreational marijuana establishments and medical marijuana facilities; a second updates the city’s guidelines on recreational marijuana so that is might be regulated the same as alcohol in the future.
The ACLU’s annual Grand Rapids luncheon Wednesday, May 16, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The Smart Justice Campaign, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has the stated goal to “eliminate racism in the criminal legal system and reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50 percent” across the nation.
(Federal Bureau of Prisions)
The need for the effort is clear: America has an “addiction” for incarceration, ACLU leaders like to say — despite having about five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prison population, with about 2.3 million people in our nation’s jails and prisons currently, according to the ACLU. Our prison system costs taxpayers $80 billion per year nationwide.
And racial issues are a huge part in the problem: Persons who identify as “Black or African-American” make up about 13 percent of America’s population, but according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as of May 2019, almost 38 parent of those incarcerated are black. One out of every three black males born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino males, compared to one of every 17 white males, according to the ACLU.
But, as was part of the discussion at the ACLU’s annual Grand Rapids luncheon Wednesday, May 16, at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the problems with America’s legal system are not entirely a racial issue and very much a West Michigan issue.
Brandon Buskey, ACLU national deputy director of the Smart Justice Litigation and Criminal Law Reform Project. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
“There are a host of people who are trapped in this system, who cannot get out, who are not black or brown,” Brandon Buskey, ACLU national deputy director of the Smart Justice Litigation and Criminal Law Reform Project, said to WKTV prior to his keynote talk at the local luncheon. “But this is all still tied to our nation’s addiction to punishment. And we really don’t think about these kinds of systems because they are impacting people with the least amount of power.”
And those people without power, mostly people of color, are the focal point of the new ACLU Smart Justice Campaign.
Smart Justice Campaign elements
The campaign, according to ACLU information, focuses on five general areas: reforming sentencing laws and policies that lead to “extraordinary long” prison sentences; overhauling “harmful, unjust, and for-profit” bail systems that discriminate against the poor; challenging prosecutorial “abuse” in the courts and legislatures — and through voter education; addressing a “broken” parole and release system; and, finally, helping prisoner re-entry into society when they are confronted with “federal, state and local legal restrictions that make it difficult to reintegrate.”
“In a nutshell, the campaign for Smart Justice is a multi-year, multi-state effort,” Buskey said. “At the national level, we are developing blueprints for all 50 states, all of our affiliates, that sets forth a real set of options as to how we can realistically get to this goal of 50 percent decarceration. That is where it goes local. That is where states like Michigan have picked up the baton.”
That picking up of the Smart Justice baton, in Michigan and in the Grand Rapids area, has recently taken the form of both a ACLU lawsuit in the Detroit area to challenge bail procedures for low income persons and a local kick-off of a community organizing effort led by Richard Griffin, ACLU field organizer and a survivor of America’s penal system himself.
Local ACLU action focuses on community action
The ACLU’s West Michigan Smart Justice effort, led by Griffin, recently held its campaign launch event which highlighted the local, multi-organizational “community-based” program. Griffin is one of four community organizers recently set up across Michigan.
Richard Griffin, ACLU field organizer in Grand Rapids area. (Supplied/Courtesy John Corriveau)
“Here in Grand Rapids, we partnered with the NAACP, Linc Up (community development organization), as well as the Kent County probate division,” specifically the Probate Court’s Delta youthful offender program, “and other grassroots groups,” Griffin said to WKTV prior to the luncheon. “We wanted educate the Grand Rapids community and make sure the Grand Rapidians were informed as to what Smart Justice is … what the goals are to correct what is wrong with our criminal justice system.”
And what is next for the local Smart Justice effort?
“We want to galvanize this community, to mobilize individuals, whether that be through legislative advocacy to try to move the needle legislatively,” Griffin said, or “our canvasing efforts, to make sure we are getting the word out.”
Griffin has been on the job in Grand Rapids since last year. But his passion for the work runs deep — he was incarcerated at the age of 16 for a drug-related homicide and spent 23 years behind bars. For a WKTV In Focus interview with him from just after he took the ACLU position, visit here.
Over the time Griffin has been on the job locally, he said there has been some lessons learned.
“The biggest lesson is recognizing the social dynamic in Kent County between different demographics and ethnicities,” he said. “The black and the brown communities are dispersed, somewhat, and disconnected. … That was a stark reality for me to accept. I had not been around in this community for some time. Getting familiar with that. … That social and community disconnect is important in rolling out a campaign like this (Smart Justice). … Many people are disconnected from the issues while suffering from the issues.”
ACLU lawsuit against Detroit court system
The lawsuit in the Detroit area — led by the ACLU of Michigan, the national ACLU, and the law firm Covington & Burling LLP — is a federal class action lawsuit against the 36th District Court in Detroit for “violating the constitutional rights of people who are presumed innocent but are confined to jail because they cannot afford to pay bail following their arrest,” so states an ACLU statement echoed by Buskey.
“The lawsuit seeks an overhaul of an unconstitutional cash bail system that discriminates against poor people, locking them up because they cannot afford to pay while allowing those who have money to go free,” he said.
And, Buskey said to WKTV, the current system in the Detroit court system — and mirrored in varying ways across the nation, including in West Michigan — amounts to a modern debtor prison system and can discriminate against all poor persons not just poor persons of color.
“It may be a simple way of putting it, but (calling it debtor’s prison) is entirely accurate,” Buskey said. “In places like Detroit, the going assumption is that a person will have to pay some amount of money prior to their trial if they want to go home to their family. If they can’t pay that money, they are going to go back to jail, potentially for the rest of their case. These are people who have not been convicted of anything, they are presumed innocent and yet … we are essentially running a debtor’s prison.”
In the Detroit court system, Buskey pointed out, 85 percent of the people coming before the courts are having some kind of financial conditions set and they are often held because they cannot come up with the bail money — “and there are other options to make sure people come back to court, which is the whole reason for our current (bail) system.”
It is not just persons of color who are caught up in a legal system that discriminates against the poor, but in Detroit it is impossible to avoid the racial aspect.
“There are a number of reasons why we have allow these types of systems to persist,” Buskey said. “But in our county it is really had to separate the two issues (race and economic status). It is hard to separate the fact that people of color — black people, brown people — have traditionally been those with the least economic means in our country.”
Griffin added that the legal system problems faced by poor persons of color can and do impact all the community in West Michigan, but locally the numbers point to a racial problem as well.
“It is much more than a racially focused issue, but race is still a part of that conversation,” Griffin said. “While African American, Latinx as well as our Caucasian counterparts currently fill our Kent County jail, the African American community only represents 14 percent of this city’s population but we make up over 50 percent of Kent County jail’s population.”
But “more than it being an issue of race, it is an issue of treating people fairly,” he said. “The instruments used to facilitate a prosecution should be used to facilitate it equally and with the intent of reform are rehabilitation in mind, we are not geared to a punitive approach.”
For more information about the Smart Justice Campaign, visit aclumich.org .
New Kentwood Police officer Jesalyn Heard, and Police Chief Thomas Hillen, center, with other members of the force. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood has welcomed Jesalyn Heard to the Kentwood Police Department, the first cadet to go through its new academic sponsorship program and the first African-American woman to serve as a police officer in the Department’s 51-year history.
Heard took the oath of office on Monday, May 13. The former Kentwood police cadet recently graduated from Grand Rapids Community College, where she was on the dean’s list, with an associate degree in criminal justice. She also completed the GRCC Police Academy in April.
Kentwood’s police cadet program has launched many careers in law enforcement throughout Michigan for more than 25 years. The program provides eligible students studying criminal justice the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the Police Department.
“About a year ago, the City Commission agreed to support the Kentwood Police Department’s recruiting efforts by providing an academic sponsorship program to outstanding cadets attending the police academy,” said Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. “Jesalyn is our first recipient of that program. We’re delighted to celebrate her journey and welcome her to the team as an officer, where she’ll continue to serve the City of Kentwood and its residents with excellence.”
The cadet program allows students to develop their decision making, critical thinking and communication skills, preparing them for a career in the criminal justice system. Additionally, cadets ride-along with officers, observing their day-to-day functions. In order to qualify for the sponsorship program, cadets must maintain full-time enrollment status, as well as high academic standards.
“The cadet program gave me a great foundation of knowledge going into the police academy,” Heard said. “The experiences I gained helped me grasp concepts quicker and gain more insight throughout my education.”
Kentwood police Jesalyn Heard. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
Heard grew up in the Grand Rapids and Kentwood areas. She attended East Kentwood High School where she was an accomplished athlete in basketball and track. Her parents are also in law enforcement. Her father serves as a sergeant with the Grand Rapids Community College Police Department and her mother works for a warden with the Michigan Department of Corrections.
This is Heard’s first law enforcement job; she hopes to eventually serve in the Department’s Community Services Bureau so she can work with Kentwood’s youth.
“When it was time to make a decision about my career, I knew Kentwood was where I needed to be. Not only because of the bonds I had created with the KPD family through the cadet program, but because of my connection to this community,” Heard said. “I want to speak to youth and let them know how important it is to make positive choices and that it is possible to choose a good path no matter what life has thrown their way.”
The new officer also has an interest in the special response team, which is utilized during critical incidents and during the execution of high-risk search warrants.
“We’re proud of Jesalyn’s passion to serve the area she grew up in,” Chief Hillen said. “She has worked hard to achieve this position – I’m confident she will do an outstanding job.”
Heard currently resides in Grand Rapids with her fiancé and two children.
More information about the Kentwood Police Department is available online at kentwood.us.
The Kentwood Justice Center which houses the 62-B District Court (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Kentwood’s 62-B District Court and the 63rd District Court have concluded their monthlong waiver program, jointly resolving 281 cases by collecting $70,001.81 in past due fines/costs, according to a recent statement from the courts.
Specifically, the 62-B District Court collected $28,074.81 in payments on 102 cases, while the 63rd District Court collected $41,927 in payments on 179 cases.
“We are pleased that so many people were able to clear up the suspensions of their driver’s licenses and arrest warrants,” 62-B District Court Chief Judge William G. Kelly said in supplied material.
WKTV Journal recently interviewed Judge Kelly on the District court system past and present, see the Youtube video link here.
During the month of March 2019, the program allowed individuals to come into compliance with court orders by settling their debts without further penalty or incarceration. The program addressed outstanding warrants for non-compliance with a court order of fines, fees, court costs and any outstanding traffic or parking tickets that were in default or suspension.
“We are really pleased with how the waiver program went and that it helped so many people from our community to resolve their business with the court,” 63rd District Court Chief Judge Sara J. Smolenski said in supplied material. “Judge O’Hara and I appreciate our administration and staff, and the team at the 62-B District Court for their hard work on this program and their ongoing dedication to serving the public.”
Any individuals who have outstanding debts or would like to discuss any past-due fines and costs may contact the 62-B District Court at 616-698- 9310 or 63rd District Court at 616-632-7770 for further information.
It has been more than 28 years since the December night Richard “Richie” Hitchcock disappeared after an evening out at the Riverfront Lounge in Allegan. Despite an extensive initial search, and a dogged effort by family and friends to find out what happened to Richie, there has been no clues as to his fate.
Over the years, individuals and groups, usually led by Richie’s cousin, Kellie (Yunginger) Boers, and Richie’s brothers Steve and Andy, have tried many things to get information, only starting with a current $5,000 reward for information on the case. Over the years, they have posted flyers, painted information on rocks for people to find and inquire about, they have hooked up with the stock car racing community to keep the effort alive — despite knowing that Richie is most likely no longer alive.
Continuing that effort, on Saturday, March 23, Boers and others will hold a fundraising dinner to raise another $5,000 for the reward, pushing it to $10,000 total, at the Allegan Eagles (#2315) 110 Chestnut St., Allegan. The dinner will run 1-5 p.m., with include a chicken dinner with fixings, with live music, silent auction and raffles.
After almost three decades, the effort continues to give Richie’s family and friends a little peace by finding and putting Richie to peaceful rest.
“The reason we have never given up on searching for Richie is because we love him. He deserves to be looked for … He deserves to be found,” Boers said to WKTV. “We don’t deserve to suffer this loss nor grieve a family member whom we cannot find, but Rich didn’t deserve to serve out 28 years of his family not knowing where his final resting place is.”
Boers, in fact, has turned her lessons learned, skills and passion for right to becoming a advocate for all missing persons.
Richie “is the reason I became an advocate,” she said. “When I started investigating and searching for him, others saw what I was doing and referred people to me to ask how they could do the same for their families. … I am blessed that they think that highly of the work I do. I do it from my heart and soul.”
But front and center in her efforts, in her mind and heart — in the heart and mind of many — is always finding Richie.
“He is the reason we team up together, his brothers Steve and Andy and I, to help others who have missing loved ones,” Boers said. “We don’t want them to have to wait 28 plus years like we have.”
The group’s efforts over the years, while always continuing, have had some notable ideas.
There was an effort last spring to put pictures and information of his, along with other missing persons, on rocks, an effort called “Allegan Sticks and Stones.” The stones are left in random places for people to find and enquire about.
There are also race cars owned and driven by Boer’s local friends who race at “local tracks like Kalamazoo, Springport, Galesburg, New Paris, all over the state now … even up to Onaway … It’s gained momentum over the last about 4 years so we just keep printing them if they are willing to put them on their cars,” she said.
There was even a billboard effort last year, led by a Facebook fundraising campaign.
And on March 23, the effort to get more community support to find Richie will continue with the dinner fundraiser.
For more information on the dinner and the effort, visit the @helpusfindRichardHitchcockpage on Facebook.
The latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus offers two discussions focused on important topics: improving Michigan’s prison environment and how Calvin College is reaching out to inmates with education and life-changing opportunities, as well as the current opioid abuse and addiction public health crisis and how Kent County is working to address that crisis locally.
We also have two community guest hosts — City of Kentwood Commissioner Emily Bridson and Grand Rapids Community College instructor Keith St. Clair — who will bring their own unique views to the show.
First up, In Focus is Rachel Jantz, a Public Health Epidemiologist with the Kent County Health Department. She has served in this role for the past 2 and one half years. In March of 2018, the Kent County Commissioners approved the addition of two more experts to deal with emerging public health concerns — PFAs and the opioid epidemic. Jantz is the lead for the Kent County Opioid Task Force.
Then In Focus is Todd Cioffi, an associate professor at Calvin College, and director of Calvin Prison Initiative. The Calvin Prison Initiative, a partnership between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, provides a Christian liberal arts education to inmates at Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility, a state prison located in Ionia. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree from Calvin College, but it is much more than simply an educational effort.
Starting Jan. 22m WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). In Focus is also available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com. All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
New laws aim to prevent and punish crimes against abuse victims’ pets. (MaxPixel)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
After nearly a year of work introducing and shepherding two bills though the Michigan Legislature, newly reelected state Rep. Tommy Brann received a early Christmas present when his animal abuse prevention and prosecution law — the “Howie Bill” — was signed by then Gov. Rick Snyder as one of this last official acts.
The Governor’s approval followed the mid-December Senate approval of Rep. Brann’s House-approved bills, when they gained support from 33 of 37 state senators voting.
State Rep. Tommy Brann (R-77th District)
Rep. Brann, a Republican who represents the 77th District, which includes the City of Wyoming and Byron Township, told WKTV in December that House Bills 4332 and 4333 would “increase the penalties of animal cruelty crimes in Michigan and actually puts into law that pets are companion animals. I nicknamed it the ‘Howie Bill,’ after my late dog.”
The resulting new law will “make it a crime to knowingly torture, mutilate or kill an animal with the intent to cause mental distress or exert control over a person,” he previously said.
Coincidentally, a similar law was passed on the federal level, an effort led by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
Sen. Peters announced in mid-December the Congressional passage of the bipartisan legislation, also introduced with Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nevada) to help protect domestic violence survivors and their pets.
The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act expands existing federal domestic violence protections to include threats or acts of violence against a survivor’s pet, and “helps provide funding for facilities that harbor survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence and their pets, or are looking to do so.”
The legislation passed the Senate and the House of Representatives as part of a larger bill setting agriculture policy and later was signed by President Donald Trump.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
“Survivors of domestic violence should never have to decide between leaving an abusive relationship or staying and risking their safety to protect their pets,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material. “This bill will help ensure more safe havens for survivors and their pets are available.”
According to the statement from Sen. Peters’s office, multiple studies have shown that domestic abusers often seek to manipulate or intimidate their victims by threatening or harming their pets, but according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), only three percent of domestic violence shelters across the country accept pets. The ASPCA reported that a study in Wisconsin found 68 percent of domestic violence survivors reported their abusers were also violent towards their animals.
A similar study found that as many as 25 percent of domestic violence survivors have returned to an abusive partner out of concern for their pet. A separate 2007 study found that as many as one-third of domestic abuse survivors reported they delayed leaving an abuser for an average of two years out of concern for the safety of their pet.
Statistics and studies aside, Rep. Brann’s passion for protecting abused persons and their pets was very personal.
“Justice should include family pets because they could be used for manipulation or harm just like our loved ones on two legs,” Brann said early in 2018 as his “Howie Bill” moved through the state House. “As a pet lover myself, it pains me that animal abuse continues to be a growing a problem in Michigan and we absolutely need to address it. … This legislation will be a solution to address this awful problem.”
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, visiting our studio is Wyoming Public Schools new Superintendent Craig Hoekstra, talking about his history and the future of his district, including what the district plans following the recent passage of a bond measure. Also on the show is the Kent County Friend of the Court, which works with the Circuit Court in the area of domestic relations but which has duties that are moving beyond simply investigation and enforcement.
Superintendent Hoekstra began his current duties in July of this year, but his history with Wyoming Public Schools runs deep, almost 30 years in fact. First as a student, then as a custodian, teacher, principal and, from 2015, as Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services. But we talk more about his and the district’s future than his past.
The Kent County Friend of the Court is the collection, enforcement and investigative arm of the Circuit Court in the area of domestic relations. We talk Daniel Fojtik, Friend of the Court Director, and Kent County Commissioner Harold Voorhees, on the FOC and its duties, as well as a recent report on the status of a series of Community Engagement Task Force Recommendations.
“WKTV Journal In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
The holidays are always a time of year full of fun and a flurry of activities. Some people may be afraid that living in a senior community means missing out on some of the good times, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Assisted living communities have a lot of great ways to celebrate the holidays, from religious and spiritual services to festive activities and holiday outings.
We have put together a list of our favorite ways to celebrate the holidays, many of which are already happening in our Vista Springs communities. We’re wishing all of our community members joy this holiday season!
Trips to local churches or chapel
Many churches and other places of worship have special holiday
services that you may want to attend. Assisted living communities will
often organize trips to visit places, or if there is a service you want
to attend that doesn’t have a specially planned trip, speaking to your
event organizer can help you plan a visit.
Visits from local dance and music groups
Local dance companies, choirs, and bands have winter or Christmas
programs that they love to share. Many senior living communities like
Vista Springs will invite these groups to come and perform, so make sure
have get an event schedule so you don’t miss out on anything.
Pop-up vendors and shops
Pop-up shops and holiday vendors will often come visit communities
and bring the best of holiday shopping right to you! Not only does this
provide a great way to socialize with the rest of your community, but
you can get great deals on gifts for your family and friends all from
the comfort of your own front door. Usually these are one day events, so
if you plan on attending make sure to keep room on your schedule.
Craft projects
Ever wanted to make a pinecone wreath? A special ornament? A tiny
Christmas tree? Assisted living communities like Vista Springs have
these and any number of other fun craft projects
that you can take part in. Have a good time and feel like a kid again
while getting a little messy with glue and ribbons. Crafts are a great
way to get into the holiday spirit.
Community decorating
Most senior living communities will ask residents to help them put up
decorations around the common spaces. Decorate trees with ornaments,
hang garland, and put out table centerpieces to give the entire space
that homey holiday feel. Some communities also have decorating contests
to see who can make their doorway the most festive, so you can go all
out and show your decorating skills to everyone.
Cookie decorating
Everyone likes cookies, and during the holidays that’s especially
true. Assisted living communities can have cookie decorating activities
so you can have fun and eat your work. If there aren’t cookies, see if
there are any gingerbread house constructing or decorating activities
planned in your community.
Trips to music performances
When local groups can’t come and perform at your community, you can
get a chance to go and see them someplace else. Many assisted living
communities, Vista Springs included, will plan trips to go see concerts
and other live music performances wherever their normal venue is. Enjoy a
nice trip out and listen to good music to help you keep in the holiday
spirit.
Outings to local events
Similar to trips to listen to music, assisted living
communities can have planned outings to event spaces that are holding
holiday displays or special gatherings to celebrate the holidays.
Parades, light displays, or house and garden tours are all examples of
events that your community can have plans to see. One of our favorites
is the Christmas light show at Fifth-Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids.
Visits to tree farms
Another fun place to visit over for the holidays are Christmas tree
farms. While you might not be planning on taking a tree home with you,
there are plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself and get some fresh air.
Look at local crafts and handmade decorations, and relax with the smell
of pine trees with other community members.
Community group performances
Many assisted living communities have their own choirs and other
groups that put on holiday performances. Maybe you are even part of one!
These ensembles have put a lot of work into their programs, so make
sure to show up and support your community members as they entertain.
Movie viewings and game nights
Watch your favorite holiday movies or play fun board games with other
community members. While you might have movie or game nights other
times of the year, during the holidays there are often special treats
like cocoa and snacks to help you get in the holiday mood and get the
most out of community gatherings.
Dinner parties
Almost all communities will have a dinner party planned where you can
invite family and friends to come and visit you at your home and
celebrate together. Most of these parties happen early on in December,
so if you have family members that you won’t be able to see later on in
the year this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some special time
together.
The festivities of the holidays can be found anywhere, especially in your assisted living community. With all these activities, you can have holiday fun every day of the month.
With more spending comes more opportunities to get swindled. Michigan State University Extension recommends these tips and suggestions to avoid being scammed.
Only give to charities you trust and know. Holidays are a time for giving and some people can take advantage of your good will. Give smarter by learning about the charities you plan to give to, making sure they are legitimate. Look them up on the Charity Navigator who rates charities based on financial health, accountability, transparency and other factors.
Be cautious of contests. Many scammers use telemarketing to tempt consumers with prizes from fake contests. Be skeptical if you get a call out of the blue about winning a big ticket item like the newest iPhone or luxury vacation. Don’t put down a deposit or provide the caller with your personal information.
Beware of bait and switch. Peddlers of fake merchandise items do a booming business during the holidays as people shop for the most popular, high ticket items like watches, designer handbags and electronics. The rule of thumb here is one you’ve heard before: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Check the authenticity of purchased gift cards. Gift cards have been increasingly popular, so make sure your gift card has not been tampered with. Check the scratch-off personal identification numbers to ensure it is still intake. The Better Business Bureau also urges caution if you buy your cards from an auction or third-party website (a site that doesn’t belong to the retailer offering the cards). The card may have already expired, has no value or was obtained illegally.
Limit your chances of identity theft. While identity theft is an issue throughout the year, it happens even more often during the holidays. You’re probably giving out your personal information more often and freely than you even realize. Many retailers are now asking for your zip code, phone number and email address at checkout. None of this is necessary to complete a retail transaction. You can politely decline to give this information. It is best to keep sensitive information private.
Secure your online shopping. When you are buying online, make sure to shop on your home or other secure Wi-Fi network. You will also want to stick to secure web pages when making your purchases. Be careful of giving personal information when clicking on email links. It is better to type the company’s URL into your browser instead. This way you can see if it is a secure web page (it would have a padlock symbol and “https:” at the beginning of the URL). Make your computer is safe by using firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-virus software. Keep all software and browsers updated.
Unfortunately, there are new scams each year and it’s hard to keep up on all of them. Protect your wallet, purchases and identity by shopping safer and smarter this holiday season.
Operation P.R.I.C.E. was launched in 2014 by the Kentwood Police Department in an effort to curb retail theft along the 28th Street corridor.
By City of Kentwood
In preparation of the holiday shopping season, when incidents of shoplifting and retail fraud often spikes, the Kentwood Police Department is again partnering with local store owners to prevent retail theft with Operation P.R.I.C.E., an educational program that has helped area retailers reduce crime during the holidays since 2014.
As part of the program, Kentwood police educate store employees on how they can discourage shoplifting and how to identify potential crime, as well as what to do when a shoplifter is caught. The partnership between police and store owners also provides increased police presence in stores and on the streets.
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2018 National Retail Security Survey, shoplifting was the top source of inventory shrinkage for the fourth year in a row, outpacing employee theft.
Operation P.R.I.C.E., which stands for Preventing Retail Theft Through Initiative, Collaboration and Enforcement, has had a proven track record in helping local businesses decrease incidents of retail fraud.
Kentwood Police Chief Tom Hillen says the key to the program’s success is the focus on collaborating with business owners and employees.
Kentwood Chief Thomas Hillen. (Supplied)
“At the end of the day, we are working toward the same goal: reducing crime in our community,” Hillen said. “By proactively engaging with business owners and employees, and having open communication early on, we are able to equip them with knowledge and skills needed to help prevent crime. Being able to increase police presence at their shops also helps discourage theft.”
This year, Operation P.R.I.C.E. will run from Nov. 24 through Jan. 4. During this time, participating retailers will have posters and signs displayed declaring their partnership with the Kentwood Police Department. Shoppers will also see police officers in and around the community’s prime retail destinations, such as Woodland Mall.
Woodland Mall in Kentwood.
“Operation P.R.I.C.E. has been well-received by retailers and shoppers at Woodland Mall,” said Tony DeLuccia, Woodland Mall general manager. “Beyond the increased police presence in and around the mall, store owners have appreciated the education police provide on how to spot potential shoplifters to keep theft down during the busy holiday season.
“We’ve found the proactive approach of the program combined with the mutual respect between officers and retailers to be empowering for employees. The personal connections made with officers help employees feel more comfortable calling for assistance when they notice suspicious activity.”
Operation P.R.I.C.E. was launched in 2014 by the Kentwood Police Department in an effort to curb retail theft along the 28th Street corridor.
The program has since grown beyond 28th Street in recent years, extending to 29th Street and doubling in participating businesses to more than 70 the past two years. Initially, calls for police services increased, resulting in more retail fraud arrests as store owners and employees used police as a resource. More recently, police have seen retail theft during the holidays on a downward trend.
“The apparent decline in retail theft during the holiday season is a result of proactive policing activities from the P.R.I.C.E. task force,” Hillen said. “Retailers are becoming familiar with how to file a police report, how to spot theft and what legal actions they can take. These education efforts along with the visibility of retailers’ partnerships with us are helping deter potential offenders.”
In a recent interview with Kentwood City Police Department Deputy Chief Richard Roberts, and local resident Pam Schichtel, WKTV Journal found out more about the department’s volunteer program as part of our November WKTV Journal newscast.
As a way to give back to the community they love so much, Kentwood residents volunteer thousands of hours annually to the program in order to keep the city safe. Schichtel tells us why she volunteers.
Deputy Chief Roberts and the rest of his department are grateful for the assistance given to them by these citizens and hope to see more involvement in the program in order to better serve the community with excellence. He tells us what the volunteers do and how people can join the team.
WKTV Journal airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. For more information regarding the police volunteer program please click here.
Halloween is a great time for kids. The Michigan State Police want to keep it that way. (Supplied)
By Michigan State Police
Halloween is filled with excitement and spooky tricks, but with Halloween being the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians, the Michigan State Police is reminding parents to make safety a priority.
On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
“Part of enjoying Halloween festivities is recognizing possible dangers and taking precautions,” said Community Service Trooper Martin Miller, Rockford Post. “There are potential risks involved with trick-or-treating, but with the proper safety measures everyone can have an enjoyable and safe Halloween.”
Trick-or-treat safety tips include:
Children of any age should be accompanied by an adult.
Cross the street only at corners or crosswalks. Do not cross the street between parked cars.
Carry a flashlight. Wear light-colored or reflective-type clothing so you are more visible.
Accept treats at the door and never go into a stranger’s house. Only visit homes that have the porch light on.
Stay in familiar neighborhoods. Plan your route and share it with your family. Stay in a group.
Stay in populated and well-lit areas.Do not cut through back alleys or fields.
Make sure all costumes are flame retardant.Avoid walking too close to open fires, candles and jack-o-lanterns.
Make sure an adult inspects all candy before eating it.Do not eat candy that is already opened.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Kentwood Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 16th opportunity in 8 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
WKTV asked Kentwood Police Department Deputy Chief Richard Roberts why the take back effort is so important.
Pills for disposal can be brought to the Kentwood Police Department at 4742 Walma Ave SE Kentwood. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. The event cannot accept liquids or needles, only pills or patches.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 27 Take Back Day event, please contact Vicki Highland at highlandv@kentwood.us or 616-656-6571.
More information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is available at takebackday.dea.gov.
Kentwood will hold its drug take back day later this month. (WKTV)
By Kentwood Police Department
On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Kentwood Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its 16th opportunity in 8 years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to the Kentwood Police Department at 4742 Walma Ave SE Kentwood, MI 49512. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards.
According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.2 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
The last Drug Take Back Day brought in nearly 1 million pounds of unused or expired prescription medication. According to the DEA, this is the largest amount collected since the national program began in 2010.
The total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the program’s inception is 4,982 tons.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 27 Take Back Day event, please contact Vicki Highland at highlandv@kentwood.us or 616-656-6571.
More information about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is available at takebackday.dea.gov.
The Michigan State Police (MSP) Rockford Post recently announce the 3rd Annual Citizens’ Academy, which will start Oct. 22 and end Dec.17. There are a limited number of positions available at this time.
The 8-week academy will give citizens the opportunity to become familiar with the mission and operation of the MSP, understand the procedures troopers follow, increase their awareness of law enforcement’s role in the community, and get to know personnel at the Rockford Post.
This academy will be focused on the Michigan State Police patrol efforts in Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon Counties; and is open to the adult residents of the post area.
The eight week academy will meet at the Michigan State Police Rockford Post., 345 Northland Dr. NE, Rockford, MI, 49341, on Monday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A graduation ceremony will be held on Dec.17, following the final night of instruction. Individuals who are interested in attending the 2018 Citizens’ Academy, Session III, should contact Trooper Martin Miller of the Rockford Post at (616) 312-5137 or via email at millerm36@michigan.gov to receive an application. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, and the class will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus, we present in-depth interviews with both sides of the current conflict between the Kent County Commission, and Sheriff’s Department, and Movimiento Cosecha GR over the county Sheriff’s department contract with the federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency, known as ICE.
The contract between the Sheriff’s Department and ICE relates to the processing and holding in the county jail of persons suspected of crimes who also have an unclear immigration status.
Cosecha is a national nonviolent movement fighting for the dignity, respect and permanent protection of all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Early in September, the Kent County Board of Commissioners took the highly unusual step of recessing, relocating and excluding the public from its regular monthly meeting due to the continued protest of board meetings by members of Movimiento Cosecha GR and Rapid Response to ICE. Commission leadership say it does not have the legal authority to end the contract or direct the Sheriff to do so. But members of the protesting groups say the commission will not even conduct good-faith discussions with them on the issue.
WKTV brings you both sides of this important and divisive issue.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Kent County Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young, shown from a 2016 interview at the WKTV Journal studio, has been named to be Sheriff. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
Kent County administration announced Thursday that Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young has been appointed Sheriff to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Larry Stelma, who retires on Nov. 1 of this year.
Two individuals applied for the position — Undersheriff LaJoye-Young and Lt. Marc Burns. Kent County Chief Probate Judge David M. Murkowski chaired the statutorily mandated selection appointment committee and served along with Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker and Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus-Lyons. The committee’s decision was unanimous.
“The committee appreciates both candidates interest in the position and their commitment to law enforcement,” said Judge Murkowski in supplied information. “Lt. Burns has served the Kent County Sheriff’s Department well and has an impressive resume.”
“However, today it is an honor for the committee to appoint Undersheriff LaJoye-Young to the position of Kent County Sheriff,” Murkowski said. “She possesses an unparalleled knowledge of the operation and procedures of the Sheriff’s Department, having worked in every division and served in every rank in the Department.
“Furthermore, the Undersheriff enjoys wide-based community support and commands the respect of every law enforcement agency across the state of Michigan and beyond. She has demonstrated throughout her career a great capacity and ability to lead and possesses an unwavering enthusiasm for the administration of justice.”
She will also be the county’s first female Sheriff.
“The fact Michelle LaJoye-Young will serve as the first female Sheriff for Kent County serves as the perfect exclamation point to a truly momentous day,” Murkowski said.
Kent County Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young’s appointment to Sheriff will be effective Nov. 1.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus is two topics greatly impacting West Michigan and the entire nation: criminal rehabilitation and the blurry world of migrant labor in a time of immigration reform battles.
First up is Richard Griffin, the newly hired Grand Rapids Field Organizer for the ACLU of Michigan’s Smart Justice campaign, which is committed to reducing the number of people in prison by 50 percent and eliminating racial disparities in our criminal justice system. Griffin was incarcerated at the age of 16 for a drug-related homicide and spent 23 years behind bars, but that is only the beginning of his story. We will talk with him about the rest of his life’s story, about the work of the ACLU’s Smart Justice effort, and about why he has an almost spiritual connection to jazz.
Also on the episode, and on YouTube, is the Grand Rapids based Migrant Legal Aid organization, from the group we will talk with director and attorney Teresa Hendricks and attorney Ben O’Hearn. The group works to protect migrant agricultural workers legal rights and work with local farmers and agribusiness to resolve legal disputes. The group has visited In Focus before, but with the continuing and confusing mess that is current federal immigration policies, including the separation of families and sometimes separate deportation of suspected illegal immigrants — many of them seeking work as part of America’s migrant labor force — we wanted to talk to people in the know.
“WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
A couple of weeks ago, I received a text message and several phone calls from a friend frantically trying to reach me, “I got a strange notice on my computer saying I had to call or they would disable me!”
When I contacted her later, I was relieved to hear she refused to give them her credit card number and they hung up on her. Too often, people who receive these pop-up notices on their computers, tablets or phones fall prey to these scare tactics, losing hundreds of dollars and sometimes their identity as a result. Tossing your computer out the window or smashing your phone with a hammer are not the answer. You can take steps to avoid falling victim to malware.
What is malware? When most people call for help, they say “A virus got into my computer!”. The mess that malware creates can certainly make us feel sick, but it is not a computer virus in the traditional sense. Malware, also referred to as Adware or Spyware, is a type of software that is usually embedded in something else. Whether it is a ‘free’ app you downloaded to your tablet, a ‘free’ software you downloaded to your computer, or a ‘free’ game you play through your internet browser, most likely you clicked ‘OK’ and, buried in the fine print you agreed to having the malware files downloaded to your device. When it comes to apps and software, nothing is free.
When these files get downloaded to our devices, strange things begin to occur. Like my friend, a message window might randomly open up saying we have a virus or claim that our computer has been hacked and requires immediate attention. We open our internet browser and without touching a key, it will begin bringing us to websites we don’t want to go to or the screen suddenly fills with 100s of popup windows advertising everything under the sun. We could even find our inbox filling up with messages to buy things that normally require a prescription or even our phone begins to ring with telemarketers.
What can we do to protect our devices from these types of software?
First, don’t download anything unless it comes through an official app store like Google Play or Apple and even then, use caution if it says are there advertisements in the app.
When advertisements pop up in your browser, be careful where you click. Many of these are designed to fool you by including a ‘No Thanks’ button or even a fake X button usually on the opposite side of the window. Close the pop up using the X in the upper corner.
If you make a mistake and download some malware to your computer, stay calm and know that any threatening messages you receive are not real. Microsoft, Apple or Google will not send a warning message to your screen demanding you call them ‘or else…’. If you’re getting these messages, it’s most definitely fake.
Do not call the 800 numbers that appear on your screen, give out any personal information, or allow anyone remote access to your computer.
You can often get free assistance by going to the manufacturer of the device. For a Microsoft device you can get virtual assistance at support.microsoft.com, an Apple device support.apple.com or a Google/Android device go to support.google.com.
Sometimes we need more than help articles; there are services you can pay for help. Best Buy’s Geek Squad offers support in-home, in-store, 24/7 online and phone support at (800) 433-5778. HelloTech also offers in-home tech support, online support at hellotech.com and help over the phone (888) 485-9455. These companies are reputable, established companies unlike the 800 numbers offered in the popup windows. You may have local tech support companies in your community.
Stay in charge of your devices! While your son, daughter or grandchild may seem tech savvy and well meaning, unless they are a certified technology support specialist, they should not be trying to fix your computer, tablet or phone. People of every age fall victim to malware and internet scams and our well-intentioned relatives might make matters worse.
When we run into problems like these, our inclination may be to give up on technology all together, especially if we’re new to it. Technology is engrained in every part of our society though and can actually go a long way in helping us remain independent as we age. Today we can order our groceries and have them delivered to our home, call for a ride, see our doctor through a video call, pay all of our bills and connect with friends and family using a smartphone, tablet or computer.
It’s worth sticking with it and to learn more. Local libraries offer technology classes for adults, as well as many community and senior centers. If you’re a member of a group who would like a class on learning about how technology like tablets and smart phones can enhance your life, Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan will bring a class to your organization. You can contact us at (616) 456-5664 or aaainfo@aaawm.org for more information.
The 2018 Metro Cruise kicks off at 4pm Friday, Aug. 24. The alternative Latin rock group Cabildo will be on the main stage at 4:30pm, followed by local favorite, Delilah DeWylde at 7:30pm performing a range of hillbilly and blues. Friday closes at 10pm.
Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Kent County is on the hunt for a new sheriff. If you have leadership skills and a background in law enforcement, you might want to consider applying for the position. With the announced retirement of Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma, the county has formed a Kent County Sheriff Appointment Committee and is looking for applicants for the position. The individual appointed by the committee will hold the position through Dec. 31, 2020.
Metro Health Village has a number of walking routes and even a bike trail — all perfect for an afternoon stroll with the kids or a quick, weeknight workout. Download a Walking/Bike Route map here.
Need a little push to get started? Check out the Couch to 5K Training Program. Even if you’re not looking to set any world records, this program will have you up and active in no time!
No, not locusts, but we didn’t have a photo depicting the droves of voters who showed up for the primary election on Aug. 7. Take a good look at this photo — that’s the power inherent in sheer numbers, people. A pat on the back for all who voted.
The Chamber’s WKTV Government Matters committee analyzed the impressive voter turnout during their meeting on Aug. 13. The committee also discussed county staff additions. All in all, pretty important stuff.
Fun Fact:
In Switzerland, it is illegal
to own just one guinea pig.
This is because guinea pigs are social animals, and they are considered victims of abuse if they are alone. Source.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal: In Focus, WKTV talks with Dr. Erwin Haas, a Kentwood resident and retired local medical internist. Haas is the Libertarian Party candidate for the Michigan State Senate’s 26th District seat. This November, Haas will face off with Republican primary winner Aric Nesbitt and Democrat Garnet Lewis. Haas ran campaigns for U.S. Congress in 2016 and 2014, as well as for Lieutenant Governor in 2010.
We will talk with him about what the Libertarian party is all about and why he continues to seek elected office.
Also on the episode, In Focus is Thomas Sinas, a partner in West Michigan’s Sinas Dramis Law Firm and an advocate for the Kent County Legal Assistance Center. Sinas has tried both civil and criminal cases, and has also lectured and authored numerous articles on trial practice and substantive law. We talk with him about the Legal Assistance Center, and misconceptions about legal services available in civil and criminal cases.
The entire episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.
The episode debuted on WKTV cable channels on Tuesday, Aug. 7, and aired again on Thursday, Aug. 7, also at 6:30 p.m., and will continue on the same days and times the week of Aug. 13. But all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
