East Lansing’s police chief is apologizing for recent comments she made about minorities.
Police Chief Jen Brown told WLNS last week that East Lansing has had a “disproportionate number of minorities come into the community and commit crimes.”
She was responding to a story that the East Lansing Police Department uses force against a disproportionate number of Black individuals.
Several local leaders labeled the chief’s comments as racist.
In a written statement, Brown apologizes for “unintentionally offending members of the community I serve.”
Earlier this year, Brown apologized for saying some members of the city’s police oversight commission “hate cops.”
Proposed changes would strip the commission of its ability to investigate complaints and recommend disciplinary actions and would prohibit members from commenting on pending complaints or investigations or releasing the names of any police department employees.
The proposed changes come amid scrutiny by outside groups of the department’s handling of multiple incidents in downtown East Lansing during Michigan State University’s welcome week.
East Lansing City Council members will consider the changes proposed through contract negotiations with the city’s police union at their Oct. 21 meeting.
You can read the proposed changes here after City Council members voted 4-1 to release the document to the public and delay consideration of the proposal.
