Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Mike Harris Retires
Grand Rapids Police Department Officer Mike Harris recently retired after twenty - five years of service. Young people in the community recognize him for his work at the Boys and Girls Club at the Seidman Center. In this interview with the GR Times, Harris talks about his work with the youth, becoming a police officer, the lack of diversity in the GRPD and more.
GRT: How long have you been involved with the Seidman Center?
Harris: I have been involved with the Seidman Center since about 1996. My mentor then was a guy named Percy Brown. I had been on the police department for about two years and because of my personality he thought that I would be a good fit to work with some of the youth of this community and the rest is history. I was born in New Orleans but I grew up here in Grand Rapids and graduated from Godwin Heights High School.
GRT: When did you first start thinking about becoming a police officer?
Harris: I was one of those kids who really didn't like police officers, just because of the run - ins that I had with them. So I walked around with a chip on my shoulder back in the day because I had run into a few officers who hadn't treated me right because of the color of my skin. Well, we had a Liaison Officer who worked at my high school who was Hispanic and worked for Wyoming Police Department. He was the one who actually sparked my interest in becoming an officer because I had put all police officers in one group; but one day I sat down with him and listened to him. He told me that he wanted to get to know me and judge me for who I was as a person. He also told me about how he grew up in Chicago with gang bangers in the family and his story was similar to mine so were about to relate to each other. So after that, I decided that I wanted to become an officer because I wanted to be a good officer.
GRT: What is it about working with kids that is rewarding for you?
Harris: When I look at a lot of our kids with similar backgrounds, it is like looking in the mirror. I think that the sports programs like the football program that Percy Brown started and then I kind of took over and developed the basketball program from a local league into a national program with some of the kids even getting scholarships and Division 1 players who went on to play at major universities and become major successes. A lot of our best players in this city came through Seidman and I coached a lot of them. Some of them give me a lot of credit for helping them become young men but I think that one of the key things that we implemented at the club was structure, which is so important in young kids lives. The Boys and Girls Club is located in a difficult in environment but I think that places like the Seidman Center are so vital to our young women and men becoming successful individuals. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child and that it so true because I have seen it first hand.
GRT: What is your opinion on systemic racism?
Harris: I remember when your paper covered the story about me receiving the Maytag award in 2016 I was one of twelve people to get that award; but that year I didn't even get nominated for officer of the year. I have always been the type of person who is going to be respectful, but I am going to tell you how I feel if you ask for my opinion. When people talk about systemic racism, it is hard because when there are only a few of you and some people are scared to say how they really feel because they are afraid of retaliation, or how other people feel about them. Percy Brown always taught me that I would get respect from the community and from people who I have helped and it became true.
GRT: Were you always a GRPD Officer?
Harris: I started and ended my career here. I remember that the internship program opened doors for me and that is why it is so vital to diversity on the police department. That was my foot in the door because they could see me work; but I remember having a sit down with the then Chief Hagerty and letting him know that I was not going to turn down a job offer in Lansing if I was not going to be hired on as a GRPD Officer. He shook my hand and gave me his word that he would make sure that I was hired and that was kind of how it was.
GRT: What would you like to see addressed and changed within GRPD?
Harris: There are some positives and some negatives. The biggest thing is diversity in the department because we had more diversity in the department when I started twenty years ago then we have now and to me that is a problem. I have offered my help to Chief Payne with whatever they need. Mike Harris is very out spoken and some people don't like that. I don't care because I am not doing this for attention or for people to like me. There is an old saying, "Respect my opinion and I will respect yours." That is where people are going to have to grow up and understand one another. When I say we need more diversity, I mean that we need some African American officers.
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