Flint’s police chief to hold community meetings to hear from residents

Flint, MI– Residents can meet with Flint’s police chief during a series of meetings launched this month to ask questions and voice their concerns about issues in their community.

On Thursday, Nov. 11, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Flint Police Chief Terence Green will be at the newly renovated police mini station on Bishop Avenue and Martin Luther King Avenue, hosting his second meeting to speak with residents.

Green kicked off his community meetings on Nov. 9, saying he was working to build relationships that would “bridge the gap” between the police and residents and also help reduce crime in the Flint neighborhoods.

“Let’s face it,” Green said in the Nov. 9 meeting held at the recently reopened mini station located at Dort Mall on Flint’s south side. “The police can’t do it alone.” 

About 10 residents came to the first meeting and spoke about specific neighborhood concerns, such as problematic neighbors and issues Flint faces like blight and drag racing.

Green responded to each speaker, explained the processes for dealing with various issues, and shared how he was working to resolve them. 

He also told residents that his hope for the police department is to move towards community-oriented policing, where residents know the police officers who work in their neighborhoods, and the police officers know them. 

“As trust grows, information flows,” said Flint Police Capt. Sondra Taylor, who was also at the meeting.

Green said he wants to hold more community meetings in the future, with some in the mornings and some in the evenings to accommodate residents with different schedules.

Future meeting dates were not provided.