City Of Grand Rapids: Police Chief Eric Winstrom's Oath Of Office Ceremony Set For March 7

Press release from the City of Grand Rapids:

February 24, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – City Clerk Joel Hondorp will administer the oath of office to newly-appointed Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 7 at the City Hall Commission Chambers (300 Monroe Avenue NW, 9th floor). City Commissioners, City officials, Grand Rapids Police personnel, community leaders and family and friends are expected to observe the swearing-in ceremony and officially welcome Winstrom as chief. The ceremony will air on Comcast Channel 26 and be live streamed on the City of Grand Rapids Facebook page and YouTube channel.

City Manager Mark Washington selected Eric Winstrom, a commander in the Chicago Police Department, on Feb. 1 to serve as Grand Rapids’ next police chief following an exhaustive national search, transparent interview process and robust community engagement period. Winstrom is replacing Police Chief Eric Payne who will retire from the department March 4.

“The City is fortunate to have someone as qualified and talented as Eric WInstrom on board as our police chief. I look forward to working with him to continue to advance policing and to continue our journey to strengthen trust between the community and our police department,” Washington said.

Winstrom comes to Grand Rapids having served in the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for over 20 years in various patrol, tactical, investigative, and administrative positions. He last served as an executive on the CPD Leadership Team and led the Area 5 Detective Division where he oversaw a staff of 200, including 40 homicide detectives. Geographically, Area 5 covers approximately one-fifth of the City of Chicago including the Northwest Side and O'Hare Airport. His previous assignments included teaching at the Chicago Police Academy, heading CPD's citywide child sex crimes investigation unit, serving as a supervising attorney in the legal affairs division, assisting in the creation of the office of reform management, overseeing policy and procedure for the department, and serving as captain of the 400-person 9th District Station. He holds a BS in Administration of Justice from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Winstrom is a member of the Illinois Bar Association and is a court-recognized expert on police policy, use of force, criminal investigations, and the Fourth Amendment.

This press release was produced by the City of Grand Rapids. The views expressed here are the author’s own.