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County Narrowly Approves Funding for Shooting Study

Sehvilla Mann
/
WMUK

Kalamazoo County intends to help fund a study of the law enforcement response to February’s mass shooting. The proposal passed 6-5 at a commission meeting Tuesday evening.

The county will pay about $30,000 – that’s roughly half the total cost - to commission an analysis of the crime from the DC-based nonprofit the Police Foundation.

Supporters say a thorough review could help communities across the country protect themselves during random attacks.

Commissioner Dale Shugars, who voted no on the proposal, questioned whether the study could be impartial if the county’s paying for it. But commissioner Julie Rogers, who voted yes, says she expects it to be fair.

“I do view this as an independent investigation. I think the Police Foundation doesn’t really have a dog in this fight. They said they do this across the country in various areas and they seem to be quite independent,” she says.

Commissioner Stephanie Moore was among those who did not support the proposal. She says the board has ignored the impact of other acts of violence while focusing on the February 20 shooting, in which six people were killed and two seriously hurt.

“I think we should be looking at how we are aggressively trying to support and sustain peace and safety for all of the people in our community,” Moore says.

Vice Chair Jeff Heppler said he doubted the study was worth the money, while Commissioner Scott McGraw said the county should wait to see if an outside group would pay the cost.

Sehvilla Mann joined WMUK’s news team in 2014 as a reporter on the local government and education beats. She covered those topics and more in eight years of reporting for the Station, before becoming news director in 2022.
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