Grand Rapids Unveils Plan to Review Policing After Deadly Shooting

City manager announces three-step plan to analyze police shootings, pursuit tactics, and civilian appeals board.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 10:04pm

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Nearly a month after a man was shot and killed by Grand Rapids police, the city has unveiled a three-step plan to review policing policies. The plan includes a comprehensive review of all police shootings in the last five years, a deeper dive into police pursuit tactics and K-9 policies, and an analysis of the civilian appeals board that looks at police accountability and transparency.

Why it matters

The plan comes in response to growing calls for justice and accountability following the recent fatal police shooting of Da'Quain Johnson. The review aims to identify trends and circumstances around past police shootings in order to discuss a path forward for improving policing in the community.

The details

City Manager Mark Washington announced the three-step plan during a city commission meeting. The first step is a review of all 12 police shootings, 4 of them fatal, that have occurred in Grand Rapids over the last 5 years. The second step is an examination of police pursuit tactics and K-9 policies. The third step is an analysis of the civilian appeals board that oversees police accountability. Washington said the initial findings from the review are expected to be presented in April.

  • The fatal police shooting of Da'Quain Johnson occurred nearly a month ago.
  • The city's three-step plan was announced during a city commission meeting on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
  • Initial findings from the review are anticipated to be presented during the April Public Safety Committee meeting.

The players

Mark Washington

The city manager of Grand Rapids who announced the three-step plan to review policing policies.

Da'Quain Johnson

A 32-year-old man who was shot and killed by a Grand Rapids police officer in an apartment complex parking lot.

Interim Police Chief Trigg

The interim police chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department who is expected to help with the planned improvements to policing in the community.

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What they’re saying

“I know this is a very sensitive, emotional conversation, but I wanted to begin from a data-first perspective and then have an informed conversation about what the current actions have been.”

— Mark Washington, City Manager

“While I am not am not predetermined or preconvinced to change any aspect of the policy, I am curious to see whether or not our policy is in line, similarly or differently than other agencies.”

— Mark Washington, City Manager

“There's a lot of things that we have been doing. Each shift that we've had has been forward-thinking, and we are not going to stop thinking about how to improve the way that we police in this community, and interim police chief Trigg is on board, and I'm looking forward to the things that he's going to help us with.”

— Mark Washington, City Manager

What’s next

The initial findings from the comprehensive review of police shootings in Grand Rapids over the last 5 years are expected to be presented during the April Public Safety Committee meeting.

The takeaway

This review of policing policies in Grand Rapids comes in response to growing calls for accountability and justice following a recent fatal police shooting. The city's data-driven approach aims to identify trends and circumstances around past incidents in order to have an informed discussion about improving policing in the community.