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Second pillar of $75 million MI Safe Communities framework would fund retention and recruitment programs for officers, expand professional development, training, and mental health and improve violent crime clearance rates
LANSING, Mich. — Today, on October 20, Governor Gretchen proposed a $32 million investment to ensure law enforcement officers have the training and resources they need to effectively fight crime. The proposal is part of the larger $75 million MI Safe Communities framework the governor laid out in July, which would utilize federal funding from the American Rescue Plan to reduce crime and keep families safe by tackling the court backlog, expanding resources available to law enforcement and uplifting communities by making investments in jobs programs, counseling and education.
“We have to work together to fund police and reduce crime because every Michigander in every community deserves to live safely,” Whitmer said. “As a former prosecutor, keeping families safe is a top priority, and the MI Safe Communities framework will help law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively. I will work with anyone to bring down crime and help Michiganders feel safe in their community. Together, we can build a safer, more just Michigan where every family can thrive, where every kid can get a great education and where every person has a path to a good-paying, high-skill job.”
The $32 million investment will go to communities with the highest increases in violent crime. It has four pieces:
1. Retention and Recruitment ($20 million)
Grants up to $10,000 per officer to help local law enforcement departments and correctional facilities retain qualified, experienced personnel, and grants up to $10,000 to recruit or retain future officers enrolled in police academy training programs or new officers who have completed at least two years at a department. No department will be eligible for more than 10% of the total funds for a single department receiving funding.
2. Professional Development and Training ($4.5 million)
Funds professional development and enhanced training for current law enforcement and correctional officers and forgive educational debt of recent hires with a matching grant of $5,000, totaling up to $10,000 per eligible officer. No department will be eligible for more than 10% of the total funds for a single department receiving funding.
3. Mental Health ($4.5 million)
Creates a grant program offering behavioral health services for law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, dispatchers and local corrections officers. No department will be eligible for more than 10% of the total funds for a single department receiving funding.
This investment will build on ongoing efforts from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to set up an officer mental wellness initiative.
4. Solving Violent Crime ($3 million)
Provides grants to local law enforcement departments to hire homicide detectives or other line staff focused on investigating and solving violent crime. This investment would drive down homicide clearance rates in Michigan cities, which are currently some of the worst nationwide. No department will be eligible for more than 10% of the total funds for a single department receiving funding.
MI Safe Communities
The $32 million investment Governor Whitmer laid out today to ensure law enforcement and corrections departments are equipped to do their jobs was the result of hundreds of conversations the governor and her team had with law enforcement officers, community leaders, faith leaders, and families over several months. Based on those conversations, the governor announced the three-pillar, $75 million MI Safe Communities framework in July.
MI Safe Communities would:
- Invest more money into Michigan’s police departments to strengthen training policies and programs and foster collaboration between the Michigan State Police and local departments on specialty services.
- Increase the number of visiting judges with funding for prosecution and defense to tackle the backlog of criminal cases that has piled up during the pandemic, to protect the rights of defendants to appear in person and help the justice system operate more efficiently while maintaining public safety.
- Make comprehensive investments to expand opportunity through Michigan’s education, jobs and justice system including Collaborative Community Violence Intervention Programs, counseling, peer support, mediation and social services to hospital patients recovering from violent injuries-and prevent further violence and injuries.
Governor Whitmer will make additional announcements on MI Safe Communities in the coming weeks.
