By The Collegiate Staff
Editor’s note: Coverage of campus police reports has been delayed due to the Grand Rapids Community College Police Department now requiring The Collegiate to file a Freedom of Information Act request in order to obtain reports.
Larceny/Theft from Motor Vehicle
On Wednesday, April 2, at 10:27 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the GRCC Police Department to meet with a student reporting that their car was broken into. The student told the officer that on April 1, at 1 p.m. she parked her vehicle in Ramp A on level four. She got back to her vehicle around 3:45 p.m., and when she returned she noticed her console and glove box were both open, several items had been taken, and some items were laying on the seat and floor of her car. She mentioned that she was having trouble with her key fob and her door locking, so the doors were probably unlocked. She said that nothing valuable was taken from the car, nor were there any signs of forced entry or damage.
She later received a call from the GRCC Police Department letting her know that someone turned in an empty pill bottle with her name on it. She said it was hers and stated that she didn’t want it. The officer had her place the bottle into the safe meds dropbox in the department foyer.
Reported Theft at GRCC Library
An officer was dispatched to the GRCC library on Thursday, April 3, at 3:29 p.m. referencing a report of failure to return college property. A staff member then told the officer that a student, who had checked out a laptop, headset, phone charger, webcam and another book during previous visits and not returned them, was trying to check out a book and was told he could not do so until the other items were brought back. It was said these items were stolen and the student would have to pay a fine before being able to check anything out of the GRCC library. The student then left without checking out the book after being told he could only read it while remaining in the library. The officer proceeded to speak with the student who admitted to taking the book and said he would return it. The student later told the library staff that he would not return the book until Monday, April 7. The student returned the book to the library on April 7 and a copy of the police report was delivered to Student Life for a conduct review.
Hit and run at Parking Ramp A
On Wednesday, April 9, at 10:28 a.m., a GRCC student called the Grand Rapids Community College Police Department to report a hit and run accident. He said he was exiting level six of Parking Ramp A and had stopped in his silver Chevy Malibu, waiting for a vehicle to pass. He said, when the vehicle passed, it side-swiped the front of his Malibu, causing damage to its front, and kept driving southbound on Ransom Street without stopping. The caller described the vehicle as a black Cadillac. The officer told the man he would check the surveillance footage from the intersection of Lyon and Ransom streets— however, the cameras were some distance from the intersection and it was unlikely they would have captured his license plate. The officer told the man that the only other cameras were inside the ramp and they wouldn’t have captured any footage from the area of the accident. The officer then reviewed the cameras from the intersection and managed to locate what he believed to be the Cadillac coming from the north on Ransom Avenue and proceeding southbound before vanishing from the camera’s line of sight, without other cameras in the area. The officer then called the student back on Monday, April 14 to inform him of this information and to tell him that he could come to the department and complete a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of the report.
Hit & Run
On Wednesday, Apr. 9, at 12:07 p.m., a hit & run was reported to the Grand Rapids Community College Police that took place on Friday, April 4, between 6:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. Around 6:30 a.m., a GRCC student parked her white GMC Terrain in Ramp B level 5 and returned to it around 12:30 p.m. to find a note on her windshield from an unknown person stating “At 11:30 hours, a silver Chevy Cruze with the partial license plate of” ” struck your vehicle and drove off.” The student took the officer to her car to show the damage.
The officer was able to find the phone number of the driver of the Chevy Cruze through the GRCC PeopleSoft System and made contact with him. The officer asked if the driver had struck a vehicle and left the scene. The driver stated that when he pulled out of his spot, he struck something, but thought it was a cement pillar. The driver was told by the officer that someone saw him hit the vehicle and drive away. He restated that he didn’t know he hit the car and apologized for hitting the vehicle. The officer informed the driver that he is responsible for the damages of the parked car and that he is going to be referred to the Student Code of Conduct Office for potential discipline.
Larceny at Ramp A
On Friday, April 14, at 6 a.m., an officer was dispatched to 25 Lyon (GRCC Police Department lobby) in reference to larceny of a leaf blower that took place 30 minutes prior to the dispatch. According to a GRCC employee, one of his coworkers was using the leaf blower at College Park Plaza and after loading it onto a Kubota and proceeding back to Parking Ramp A, level one sheds, where the worker left to use the restroom, he returned and reported the leaf blower to have been stolen. The blower is not serialized or tracked in any GRCC database and was said to be worth about $400. The officer did not notice any suspicious activity when looking back at the security camera footage and told the GRCC employee to call if any other information presented itself.
Trespass on Bostwick Commons
On Thursday, April 17, at 3:54 p.m., officers were dispatched to Bostwick Commons on a report of a person harassing students, with the suspect described as a Hispanic man in his 30s wearing a grey coat and pajama pants. Upon arrival, the officer failed to locate the suspect, though the caller approached the officer, informing him that the man had approached her to tell her that she was “hot” and that he wanted to get a drink with her. He also requested she not call for police assistance, saying he would never assault a woman. She finally told the officer that the man shifted his interest to another female, and the woman was able to leave the area without issue. While this was going on, two other officers were able to locate the suspect on the south side of the Bostwick Commons. They ran his name through the Law Enforcement Information Network database and he was let go with a trespass warning.
Gate damaged at Parking Ramp A
On Friday, April 18, at 10:33 a.m., an officer was dispatched to Parking Ramp A on Bostwick Avenue on a report that the staff exit gate had been damaged on level one. The officer responded to the area and located the gate that had been damaged. The damage occurred to an aluminum gate arm, which had been slightly bent, but did not have any cracks or creases to it. The officer was able to bend it back almost completely into place. A search of the cameras by another officer was able to locate the cause of the damage, a red truck following another vehicle out of the ramp. As the gate arm went down, the truck attempted to stop, but there was minor contact.The truck’s driver then backs up and tries his RaiderCard, but it does not work. A person walking past then scans their RaiderCard, allowing the truck to leave. Using LEIN, the officer was able to figure out the truck driver’s identity and called him to ask what happened. The driver, who is a staff member and student at Grand Valley State University, stated that he pulled up to the exit as another car was leaving and followed them, but the gate came down, so he stopped. He then said he tried using his RaiderCard, but it would not work, so someone let him out. The officer then confirmed the information he had already been given and put him into contact with someone who could get him a staff parking space.
Charging table graffitied on Bostwick Avenue
On Friday, April 25, at 8:01 p.m., an officer contacted another stating there were a large group of people at the South Commons using the charging table. The officer requesting assistance stated she would make contact with them when the other officer arrived. However, upon the other officer arriving, the group— which numbered eight in all— packed up and left. Upon investigating, the officer noticed they left a mess of trash and backpacks behind near the table. He also noticed graffiti both etched and drawn into the table. It was unclear whether or not they were responsible, as it was dry and it was unclear how long they had been there. The officer contacted a GRCC staff member for an estimate for the cost of the damage, which is believed to be $1,310.
Vandalism reported at Science Building
On Monday, April 28, at 7:31 p.m., an officer was doing property inspections when he noticed someone had vandalized a bathroom stall in the first-floor men’s bathroom in the GRCC Science Building. The damage consisted of etched words on the stall wall and some writing from a marker or spray paint. The officer then informed a GRCC Facilities employee of the damage.
Property damage reported at RJF Hall
On Saturday, May 3, at 4:13 p.m., an officer noticed black spray paint on the west-facing brick wall of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall— specifically, on the brick wall north of door No.8. It was said that the graffiti consisted of black writing which appeared to read “5BP0” along with a smiley face. The officer then contacted dispatch to ask if the damage had been previously reported, only to learn it hadn’t. Facilities staff were then notified of the damage.
Trespassing reported at Bostwick Ave
On Wednesday, May 7, at 11:56 p.m., two officers were dispatched to the GRCC Bostwick Office Suites. Upon arriving, they noticed someone sleeping on the south side of the building. The two made contact with the man and, upon getting his name, asked if he had any form of identification. He presented them with a Michigan driver’s license. The officers ran his name through the LEIN system then gave him a trespass warning. Then, the man left campus.
Larceny at Ransom Street
On Thursday, May 8, at 10:41 p.m., an officer was flagged down by a man about his vehicle being broken into. The man showed the officer where his vehicle, a silver Dodge Ram 1500, had been broken into, when it was parked on Ransom Avenue near Lyon Street. The man, who works for Corewell Health, told the officer he had just moved his truck from their parking ramp and parked it on the west side on the street facing Lyon Street at 9 p.m. during his break. He said he had just bought the truck in an auction a month ago and had left his truck unlocked since he didn’t have a key fob and locking it was causing the alarm to go off. He told the officer that when he returned to his truck shortly before flagging the officer down, he noticed his bifold brown leather wallet was no longer in the center console cup holder. He told the officer that his wallet contained $60, two debit cards and his Social Security card. He also told the officer that he had left a brown paper bag from a dispensary, containing a half ounce of marijuana, on the front passenger seat, which also looked to have been taken. The man said he had no idea who could have done it, as no one knew his schedule or that his car was unlocked. The officer advised him to immediately lock his debit cards and contact the Secretary of State and the County Clerk to ask what steps to take to stop his identity from being stolen. The officer then told the man to always lock his doors to prevent this from happening in the future. However, despite the officer’s best efforts, no suspect could be located via the security cameras.
Disorderly conduct reported at South Commons
On Tuesday, May 13, at 8:18 p.m., officers were dispatched to the South Commons area of Grand Rapids Community College, on a report of a verbal confrontation. According to the report, there was a fight in progress, involving a white male in a black ski mask, white T-shirt, gray jacket, carrying a black bag and possibly armed with a knife and a Hispanic male wearing black sweatpants with a red stripe, black hooded sweatshirt and carrying pepper spray in a blue canister. The third person mentioned in the report was a Black female rolling a black suitcase and the fourth person was a white female pulling a red wagon. One officer had been alerted by a woman who had come to the GRCC Police Department to report that there was a group of what appeared to be unhoused individuals near the South Commons currently involved in a shouting match. She then requested a safe walk to her vehicle, which was later granted. The same officer then received a phone call from a second witness who stated he observed an altercation near Parking Ramp A involving two males and a group gathering. The officers later checked the security camera and confirmed visual contact with the involved parties at the Level one staff ramp exit at 8:13 p.m., observing the man in the ski mask holding what appeared to be a pocket knife in his right hand in an aggressive manner and extending his arm, waving it back and forth at the other man. At no time did any of his swings connect or do any harm to the other man. Responding officers searched for the men, but outside of a strong odor and discarded trash throughout the area, there was no sign of them, with the officers closing the case.
