GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Almost as soon as she began, Grand Rapids Police Chief of Staff and former Kalamazoo Police Chief Karianne Thomas is resigning from her post.
The news was announced on Friday, September 17 by Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Payne in a letter to community stakeholders.
Thomas was hired to the position in June of this year. The hire of the former public safety director for Kalamazoo was met with some controversy, including the group Justice for Black Lives protesting the hire.
In the letter, Payne praised her for her work in the department over the past few months and stated that he would not be seeking her replacement, but rather leaving it up the next GRPD Chief.
Thomas was fired from her job as KDPS chief in 2020 as the department faced criticism for its handling of racial inequality protests, downtown vandalism and a Proud Boys rally in Kalamazoo.
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