On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive instructing Michigan state departments and law enforcement agencies to utilize federal resources from the recently passed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to reduce crime and gun violence. This action follows a roundtable discussion the governor held with members of the law enforcement community, parents, students, and faith leaders on how to stop violence and hold criminals accountable for committing violent crimes.
“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me,” said Whitmer. “But today, far too many families in Michigan do not feel safe in their neighborhoods because of crime and gun violence. That is unacceptable—we must stop the violence and hold people accountable. We need to tackle both crime and gun violence simultaneously because they are inextricably linked—nearly 1 in 3 reported violent crimes involve a firearm and in the first six months of this year alone, over 450 Michiganders have died because of gun violence. That’s why I worked to give law enforcement the resources they need in my bipartisan budget. And thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, we have access to unprecedented federal resources that will help us keep Michiganders safe as they go to work, drop their kids off at school, or run errands in their neighborhoods. Let’s work together to protect public safety and reduce crime and gun violence.”
“The gun violence epidemic has been tearing apart thousands of Michiganders’ lives each year with nearly no government action taken to prevent such tragedies. Today, however, this changes,” said Zoey Rector-Brooks and Jayanti Gupta, youth leaders of March For Our Lives Michigan. “The executive directive signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer will strengthen Michigan’s ability to stop gun violence before it happens by providing Community Violence Intervention, a program proven to be an effective approach to disrupting violence in our communities. It will also work to further close the “boyfriend loophole,” which has for too long put those in domestic relationships at risk. There is much work left to be done, yet this is a victory worth celebrating. Lives are being saved.”
Whitmer’s executive directive instructs Michigan state departments and agencies to effectively utilize all available resources from the recently passed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to reduce crime and gun violence. Within 30 days, all departments and agencies must identify a designee to coordinate across state government. The Michigan State Police (MSP) must explore ways to improve Michigan’s process for reporting criminal, mental health, and juvenile records to national criminal databases. MSP must also establish the Community Violence Intervention Office which will coordinate state and federal grants related to community violence intervention programming.
Last summer, the governor proposed MI Safe Communities, a plan to invest $75 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan to reduce crime and keep families safe by getting illegal firearms of the street, tackle the criminal court backlog, expand resources available to law enforcement, and address the root causes of crime by investing in jobs programs, counseling, and education.
