Tag Archives: Chief Thomas Hillen

Kentwood, Wyoming leaders joined by others for annual National Night Out kick off

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City leaders and local law enforcement gathered at Consumers Energy for the annual kick off to National Night Out.

By WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

 

Various city leaders and local law enforcement were on hand for the official reading of the National Night Out proclamation at Consumers Energy this morning.

 

The annual morning event, which was at the Consumers Energy offices, 4000 Clay Ave., have officials and officers from Rockford, Walker, Grandville, Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming.

 

Wyoming Chief Kim Koster and Kentwood Chief Thomas Hillen

Kicking off at 5:30 a.m., Consumers Energy had two of its large trucks with buckets extended above U.S. 131 to help draw attention to the annual event. Consumers Energy employees were handing out light bulbs to those traveling down Clay Avenue.

 

For the 24th consecutive year, Consumers Energy has been recognized by the National Association of Town Watch as the recipient of “National Electric Utility Award” for its participation in National Night Out 2017. National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. Area residents are encouraged to turn their porch light on and go out and meet their neighbors.

 

More activities will be taking place later this afternoon and evening in both the communities of Kentwood and Wyoming.

 

In Kentwood, the city’s big kick off will be at Woodland Mall from 3— 5 p.m. Residents will have to opportunity to met with Kentwood police and firefighters and get an up-close look at emergency vehicles. There will be a bicycle raffle and a special visit from McGruff the Crime Dog.

 

There is about 20 different neighborhood events taking place throughout the city, several of which will have a variety of entertainment. Those with special activities are:

 

• Christ Community Church, 2400 Forest Hill Ave. SE, 5— 7 p.m., will have water slides, games, food and beverages.

 

• Wingate Apartments, 3151 Wingate Dr. SE, 5— 7 p.m., will have a dunk tank and live music.

 

• South United Methodist Church, 4500 S. Division Ave., 6— 8 p.m, will have live music, a water slide, games, hot dogs, ice cream, snow cones and punch.

 

• Faith Church, 1412 44th St. SE, 6— 8 p.m., will have face painting, music, games, hot dogs, and pop.

 

Walker Mayor Mark Huizenga, Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, and Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.

• Pentecostals of Kentwood, 2627 44th St. SE, 6—8 p.m., will have a bounce house, puppets, live music, games, food and beverages.

 

• St. Paul’s United Method Church and Forest Pointe Apartments, 3334 Breton Ave. SE, 6—8 p.m., will have lawn games, sidewalk chalk, basketball, food and beverages. 

 

In Wyoming, the city’s big event is the National Night Out Concerts in the Park hosted by the Wyoming Enrichment Commission. The event starts at 6 p.m. with activities and at 7 p.m. Chief Kim Koster will make a short presentation and announcing the Yellow Brick Road, dueling pianos that will feature the music of Billy Joel and Elton John.

 

The City of Wyoming has about 15 neighborhood parties ranging from small gatherings to those with an arrange of activities. Those open to the public are:

 

• Oriole Park Neighborhood Watch will host an event at Oriole Park, which is located off of 40th Street, from 6—8 p.m.

 

• South Godwin Neighborhood Watch will host an event at Southlawn Park, 4125 Jefferson Ave. SE., from 6—8 p.m.

 

• Grace University, 1011 Aldon St. SW, from 5—7 p.m.

 

Also near Kentwood Community Church will be the South Kent National Night Out event from 4—8 p.m.  The event will include a number of emergency vehicles from several area departments, food and other activities. The event will have demonstrations by the K-9 Unit, vehicle extraction demonstrations, the Kent County Sheriff’s Mounted Unit, children ID packets, a bounce house and dunk tank. The church is located at 1200 60th St. SE.

Kentwood’s Operation P.R.I.C.E. Steps up Security during the holidays

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As West Michigan gears up for the holiday shopping season, the City of Kentwood is again offering a unique program with a track record of keeping crime down – and retailers happy.

 

Operation P.R.I.C.E. (Preventing Retail Theft Through Initiative, Collaboration & Enforcement) is a collaborative effort by Kentwood Police and local businesses along the 28th Street corridor to discourage shoplifting and to educate employees and store owners on ways to decrease crime during the holiday season. In 2016, retail theft cost U.S. retail industry an estimated $48.9 billion. Programs like Operation P.R.I.C.E aim to reduce these numbers and, ultimately, improve the shopping experience in the Kentwood community.

 

Kentwood Police, Woodland Mall and other local store owners partner together to increase police presence in stores and on the streets. Kentwood Police also provide education to store employees on spotting the warning signs of a potential crime and what to do when someone is caught.

 

The program was started in 2014 in order to help educate business owners and their employees on ways to reduce retail fraud in their stores.

 

In 2016, over 70 businesses participated in the program. The Kentwood Police Department anticipates just as many stores partnering with them this year.

The key, says Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen, is working collaboratively with business owners.

 

“The partnership between officers and store owners is powerful,” Hillen said. “Since 2014, we have worked to build relationships and a mutual respect with retailers. Ultimately, we are working towards the same goal – reducing theft and crime in our community.”

 

Kentwood Police offer education opportunities for businesses to learn more about warning signs of shoplifters. In the past four years, calls for services have increased, which means store owners and employees are using the police as a resource – and keeping theft down.

 

“The more employees know about the warning signs of a shoplifter, the more empowered they feel to call us for assistance,” Hillen said.

 

Woodland Mall has certainly seen positive impacts of Operation P.R.I.C.E. since its inception. This year, Kentwood Police will be more visible than ever in the mall.

 

“We appreciate how proactive Operation P.R.I.C.E. and the Kentwood Police have worked to keep retail fraud down during the busy holiday season,” said Lyndsey Hicks, director of marketing at Woodland Mall. “More than just the visibility of seeing officers in and around the mall, store owners have expressed gratitude about the education provided to spot potential shoplifters. The personal connection between officers and employees makes it easy to call for help when suspicious activity is spotted.”

 

In addition to focusing on retail theft, police presence is increased on the roadways, which also reduces speeding and traffic incidents.

 

Operation P.R.I.C.E will run from Nov. 24 – Jan. 5. During this time, shoppers will see police officers in stores near the Woodland Mall and along 28th Street, West Michigan’s prime retail corridor.

Kentwood’s Quiet Hero

Local Faces, Our Cities,

Police Chief Thomas Hillen celebrates first year!  Tom Hillen picture

By Maddi Smith

West Michigan, please give a round of applause to Thomas Hillen.  It isn’t every day that you meet someone as committed to their community as Kentwood’s Chief of Police.  This November our community marks the first anniversary of Hillen stepping into the role of police chief.  Only having held his position for a year, he has already made bounds toward the betterment of his city.

 

Grinning widely and speaking as earnestly and passionately as any public servant ever has, Hillen described to me his vision for the Kentwood area.  “I believe in the broken window theory.  Essentially, if there is one broken window in the neighborhood and you don’t fix it, then it becomes the norm.”

 

Under Hillen’s direction, the Kentwood Police Department has taken a proactive approach to code enforcement.  The community has rallied around the attention being paid to the aesthetics of their neighborhoods.  Hillen noted that when the public gets a chance to talk to a code enforcement officer, they often come prepared with questions and concerns.  His interest goes beyond just community aesthetics, though.  Hillen is personally invested in the health of Kentwood.  In regards to diligently monitoring Kentwood, he said, “I don’t want to see my community slip.”

 

The thing is, this really is his community.  Hillen and his four siblings grew up in Caledonia.  He attended and graduated from Caledonia Public Schools.  He, among multiple other colleges, attended Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University.  He has taken ownership of his stomping grounds, and dedicated his life to protecting and serving the people who live there.  But, although Hillen has devoted well many years to public service duties, including being the Deputy Sheriff of Kent, an accident reconstructionist, and being an emergency manager during a devastating windstorm in 2009.   He’s quick to pass any accolade off onto his staff and the support given to him by the police departments in surrounding areas.

 

West Michigan, here is your hero.  Many times fame and recognition are recognized as reliable measures of performance, but Police Chief Thomas Hillen has quietly been working for the public for over 30 years now, and his work has been nothing short of exceptional.  Mr. Hillen, on behalf of Kentwood and West Michigan, Thank you so much.   We look foward to seeing what the next year brings.