GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – Grand Rapids City Manager Greg Sundstrom is set to issue layoff notices to 126 employees by Jan. 1.

The layoffs and reorganization plan is the latest in what has been one of most dire budget cycles in the city’s history.

The cuts

Out of the 126 layoffs, 41 will come from the police department, 28 from the fire department and 48 will be members of the Grand Rapids Employees Independent Union, the largest city union.

Nonunion and administrative staff also will be cut.

“This is surely the most difficult thing, and probably (one of) the saddest days of my life,” Sundstrom told 24 Hour News 8. “These are good people. They are good employees and they’re not leaving through any fault of their own. It’s just (that) we need to become leaner. We need to lower our costs. And we need to move forward.”

The job cuts will reduce the city’s workforce by 23 percent from 2002 levels.

Despite cuts to the police departments, community policing will remain a top priority, according to a series of memos prepared for city commissioners.

It will be up to police administrators to figure out how to do that with fewer officers.

In the fire department, no firehouses will close, but two fire companies will disband. That plan could involve combining two engine and ladder companies. The department also is considering limiting responses to nonlife-threatening medical calls.

“The detailed questions on the impact of services will really be answered in the months ahead,” Sundstrom said.

The layoffs are expected to save the city $3.4 million during the current fiscal year and $7.7 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Shooting ranges, gun dealers and bullet manufacturers say they have never seen such shortages. Bullets, especially for handguns, have been scarce for months because gun enthusiasts are stocking up on ammo, in part because they fear President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress will pass antigun legislation — even though nothing specific has been proposed and the president last month signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

Gun sales spiked when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before.

“That is going to cause an upswing in ammunition sales,” said Larry Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing about 5,000 members. “Without bullets a gun is just a paper weight.”

The shortage for sportsmen is different than the scarcity of ammo for some police forces earlier this year, a dearth fueled by an increase in ammo use by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We are working overtime and still can’t keep up with the demand,” said Al Russo, spokesman for North Carolina-based Remington Arms Company, which makes bullets for rifles, handguns and shotguns. “We’ve had to add a fourth shift and go 24-7. It’s a phenomenon that I have not seen before in my 30 years in the business.”

Americans usually buy about 7 billion rounds of ammunition a year, according to the National Rifle Association. In the past year, that figure has jumped to about 9 billion rounds, said NRA spokeswoman Vickie Cieplak.

Jason Gregory, who manages Gretna Gun Works just outside of New Orleans, has been building his personal supply of ammunition for months. His goal is to have at least 1,000 rounds for each of his 25 weapons.

“I call it the Obama effect,” said Gregory, 37, of Terrytown, La. “It always happens when the Democrats get in office. It happened with Clinton and Obama is even stronger for gun control. Ammunition will be the first step, so I’m stocking up while I can.”

So far, the new administration nor Congress has not been markedly antigun. Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors “common sense” on gun laws. Still, worries about what could happen persist.

Demand has been so heavy at some Walmarts, a limit was imposed on the amount of ammo customers can buy. The cutoff varies according to caliber and store location, but sometimes as little as one box — or 50 bullets — is allowed.

At Barnwood Arms in Ripon, Calif., sales manager Dallas Jett said some of the shortages have leveled off, but 45-caliber rounds are still hard to find.

“We’ve been in business for 32 years and I’ve been here for 10 and we’ve never seen anything like it,” Jett said. “Coming out of Christmas everything started to dry up and it was that way all through the spring and summer.

Nationwide, distributors are scrambling to fill orders from retailers.

“We used to be able to order 50 or 60 cases and get them in three or four days easy, it was never an issue,” said Vic Grechniw of Florida Ammo Traders, a distributor in Tampa, Fla. “Now you are really lucky if you can get one case a month. It just isn’t there because the demand is way up.”

A case contains 500 or 1,000 bullets.

At Jefferson Gun Outlet and Range in Metairie just west of New Orleans, owner Mike Mayer is worried individuals are going to start buying by the case.

“If someone wants to shoot on the weekend you have to worry about having the ammunition for them. And I know some people aren’t buying to use it at the range, they’re taking it home and hoarding it.”

With demand, prices have also risen.

“Used to be gold, but now lead is the most expensive metal,” said Donald Richards, 37, who was stocking up at the Jefferson store. “And worth every penny.”

Around 6:30 p.m. Monday, the teen was walking in the area of Fuller and Hall SE when the men pulled up next to her and forced her into their car. Around 10 p.m., they dropped her off in the area of Kalamazoo SE and Worden SE.

The men are described as white men in the 40s.

• The first man is about 6-feet tall with a muscular build, blue eyes, dirty blond hair and acne scars on both cheeks. He was wearing a white T-shirt with red lettering on the front.
• The second man has dark hair in a pony tail and has brown eyes. He was wearing a red baseball cap.

The vehicle is an older two-door white car with tinted windows and bucket seats in the front.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Grand Rapids Police Department at 616.456.3604 or Silent Observer. ]]> http://wmiselfdefense.com/news/?feed=rss2&p=73 0 http://wmiselfdefense.com/news/?p=66 http://wmiselfdefense.com/news/?p=66#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:11:04 +0000 West Mi Krav Maga http://wmiselfdefense.com/news/?p=66

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – Police in Grand Rapids are investigating a bank robbery that took place on the city’s northeast side.

Police were called to the Fifth Third Bank on Plainfield Avenue around 1:30 Friday afternoon.

They say a man walked into the bank and demanded money from a teller. The man didn’t say anything about a weapon, but the teller followed protocol and handed him some cash. The man took off running.

The teller says the man was African-American, and was wearing a black nylon over his head. He had on a bright blue over-sized coat with tan or gray pants riding low with red, white, and blue boxers showing.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call Grand Rapids Police 616-456-3604 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM) — A 23-year old Grand Rapids man has been arrested for the sexual assault of a 10-year old girl at the Holland Town Center outlet mall.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department says surveillance video from a nearby store led to the arrest Monday afternoon in Kent County.

The attack happened this past Saturday in one of the bathrooms at the mall. Investigator say the man forced the girl out of the women’s bathroom and into the men’s room where she was sexually assaulted.

News of the attack angered business owners like Doris VandenBosch. She says she hasn’t felt safe since new owners took over the mall in July.

She recently contacted them with her concerns. “I just e-mailed them last week and got the response back that this was a safe place and we didn’t have to worry.” VandenBosch says the new owners got rid of security.

Del Tincher is one of the employees who lost his job. “The new owners bought it, but as soon as they bought it, they let us all go. There was five of us.” Tincher says he and the others were in charge of maintenance and security. He says they frequently checked the bathrooms, including the one where the 10-year old girl was sexually assaulted.

“They’re trying to save money. In the long run, a child had to pay the price,” says VanenBosch.

A business next door had surveillance video of the man approaching the bathrooms near the time of the attack.

Lt. Mike Brookhouse with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department says, “We put that out to the public via the news media and as a result of that info, there were people that had information. They thought they knew who this was.” Lt. Brookhouse says the man will likely be charged with 1st degree criminal sexual conduct.

As for the owners of the Holland Town Center, Sugar Oak Properties out of Virginia, a spokesman says they are deeply saddened by what happened, but offered no comment about future security at the mall.

Nick Monacelli & Sarah Sell

Krav Maga is a practical, reality-based self defense and fighting system that is designed to be effective no matter the age, size, gender, strength, or previous training of the student. Krav Maga is used by military, Special Forces and law enforcement agencies around the world, and by people who simply refuse to be a victim.

Krav Maga Michigan is the only Krav Maga training facilty in West Michigan, with locations in Grand Rapids and Holland.