1September 2020
The City of Flint has a brand-new authorities chief. Terence Green comes to the department after a number of years as chief in the Flint suburban area of Mount Morris Township.
Green is a Flint homeowner and also worked for the Genessee County Sheriff's Department for more than 20 years.
Green talked with Michigan Radio's Morning Edition host Doug Tribou about his top priorities for city's authorities department.
He's taking control of throughout an especially violent summertime. According to city information, through August 23, violent crime is up more than 24% over last year. Green states his primary focus will be lowering violent crime in the city.
“On a day-to-day basis, there's reports of shots fired, individuals being shot,” Green states. “And it appears as though there's lawlessness since the beginning of this COVID-19 epidemic.”
Green is African-American and states he can relate to Black Lives Matter protests across the country.
“Communities of color, I comprehend why they feel the method they feel,” he states. “You look across the United States, some of the important things that have actually occurred in other cities including cops departments, I've been even surprised.”
Green says he will be thankful to consult with local activists to discuss their concerns. Nevertheless, he opposes any calls to defund the department, saying it's currently understaffed.
Flint presently has 95 full-time officers and is trying to work with at least 14 more. The city has more than 95,000 homeowners.
Green changes Phil Hart, who worked as interim chief for 9 months after Tim Johnson resigned in November.
You can hear the full interview at the top of the page.