MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – Following an increase in violent calls, first responders across the county are re-forming a task force to find solutions to violent crimes.

An increase in shootings, stabbings, domestic violence and fights has been seen over the past month, primarily in the cities of Muskegon and Muskegon Heights.

“Before this month, we had a not-so-bad summer,” said Muskegon Heights Police Chief Maurice Sain.

Since the end of August, a series of shootings have resulted in serious injuries and even deaths.

READ MORE: Muskegon Heights Firefighters Take Precautions Amid ‘Rise in Violent Crime’

The chief said the crimes are not related to gang activity. He said most homicides were a “crime of passion” and that the most recent resulted from an argument at a nightclub that “escalated into gunfire.”

A task force of county law enforcement officers, including Michigan State Police, is now meeting to share ideas and resources “to end the prevalence of violent crime in Muskegon County.” , Sain said.

“When you talk about solving violence in the community, there is no silver bullet,” Sain said. “I think this needs to be a collective effort with law enforcement and the community.”

Police ask for help from community

Sain said sometimes police ask questions at a crime scene and witnesses don’t want to talk about what they saw or knew.

“We need them to be more willing to talk to police about these types of events, especially when you’re talking about the recklessness of people just shooting and having no respect for the area,” Sain said. “We have kids who are young and should be able to go out without worrying about gunshots. So if you see something, say it.

Sain also spoke at the recent city council meeting.

“When we go to ask questions, no one wants to report, no one wants to say anything,” Sain said. “I get it, I grew up in this area, I know the snitch rule and all that, but at what point does the community say, ‘Enough is enough’?

“We need to come together as a community and stand up for what we want our community to look like and be willing to walk through fire to get it to where we want it to be.”

Muskegon Heights Council Member Andre Williams recently took a ride with the police department. He spoke about his experience at the last council meeting.

“Seeing what they go through and what they deal with on a daily basis, it’s not only worrying, it fills your heart to know that there are people who care,” Williams said. “To see them go above and beyond what a job description can say, I want to commend these officers.”

A spokesperson for the family of Michael Stewart, found shot to death in his vehicle on September 1, spoke at Monday night’s council meeting, asking for more action from the city to make the community more safe.

Police work overtime to cover small community

In addition to responding to the most stressful calls, the Muskegon Heights Police Department is short five officers.

Two police officers are injured, two recruits are at the police academy and a new recruit is in training.

“We depend on the staff who are there to come in and work overtime – they have been great,” Sain said. “I have an extraordinary group of men and women who work here and the level of commitment they have to ensuring the city of Muskegon Heights has a good quality of life is incredible.”

Sain added that this can take a toll on officers when they encounter homicides and “should be back on duty the next day.”

The chief, who started with the department in 1999 and coached basketball for 20 years in the community, usually knows “kids, or knows parents or uncles that someone is involved in a lot of these incidents.

“So having to come to and console someone you know because their son or daughter has been involved in an incident can sometimes be mentally difficult.”

The police department continues to work with a clinician, who accompanies an officer responding to mental health, domestic violence and suicide calls. All Muskegon Heights police officers are trained in crisis intervention.

“Officers have to wear so many different hats, so it’s nice to be able to have that person with real experience in these areas to be alongside us or to call them and ask them to talk about these situations,” Sain said.

More communication between police and community

Sain said he believes the community and police have a “decent” relationship, but wants communication on both sides to improve.

“There aren’t a lot of people complaining about how they are treated by police officers in the city of Muskegon Heights, but what I would like to see is more ownership of what is happening when it comes to gun violence in our community,” he said.

In turn, the police chief hopes to bridge the communications gap with a new mobile app for city communications.

“We have no communication with citizens outside of radio, or maybe water bills,” Sain said. “We talked about an app years ago, but it didn’t come to fruition, so I’m excited to be able to bring this resource to our community.”

The City of Muskegon Heights app will broadcast alerts to citizens from various city departments including police, public works, inspections, fire, clerk and city council.

Sain said this could be useful in the event of a water emergency or serious accident requiring a street closure, to alert residents about what to do or where to avoid.

The app is expected to launch by the end of October.

Police use more tools to solve crimes

The police department is also installing 11 license plate-reading security cameras at different locations throughout the city. Three of these cameras will be connected to a live feed that can be viewed by station officers.

“What Flock cameras allow us to do is read license plates or vehicle descriptions and that information is disseminated by all the agencies that have Flock,” said Sain, of the security company national.

Sain said that in the future, he hopes to invest in more Flock equipment that can detect gunshots.

“Let’s say someone is shooting in a certain area, once we’re able to get this equipment, it will give us direct access to where those gunshots are coming from, before we even receive the ‘call 911,’ he said.

The city of Muskegon approved the same for 10 intersections within its limits.

Local police departments also work with the U.S. Attorney General to prosecute people in possession of weapons related to crimes.

This means that if, for example, someone is stopped and found to have a gun in their vehicle in connection with a crime, they could face a federal charge.

With that, Heights agents collected bullet casings from crime scenes and sent them to the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to be documented.

READ MORE: Federal prosecutors, local police to crack down on gun violence in West Michigan

“We work hard to ensure our community is a safe place to live, work and play,” Sain said.

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