KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo’s Public Safety Chief has come up with an action plan to address the 40 recommendations made to improve how the department handles protests and demonstrations.
Chief Vernon Coakley says over half of those recommendations have already been addressed, and most will be in place in 90 days. Five others may take a little longer because they will want to seek public input first.
“We want to have the recommendation with our community in what we do and how we do it,” Chief Coakley said. “The training to complete it is to be determined at a later date.”
The independent investigation was requested after complaints about uneven responses to a variety of protests, ranging from simple park demonstrations to the Proud Boys rally that turned violent last year.
Commissioner Jack Urban asked Chief Coakley to translate the plan into language that will eliminate misunderstandings, such as explaining some of the technical terminology in the report.
“Jargon that the police forces use, they have certain meanings for certain words that the general public may not understand or share,” Urban said.
Kalamazoo was just one of many U.S. communities that dealt with demonstrations last year.
— Copy written by John McNeil —
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