BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The City of Battle Creek is releasing the Community Oversight Board's (COB) executive summary and recommendations following its review of a June 2026 police interaction involving a minor on Greenwood Avenue.

Following the incident, the Battle Creek Police Department initiated an internal review to evaluate officer actions and compliance with department policy and procedure. As community discussion surrounding the incident continued, City Manager Amanda Zimmerlin referred the matter to the COB for review under Chapter 286 of the Battle Creek Code of Ordinances.

The board reviewed body-worn camera footage, department policies and procedures, relevant legal standards governing investigative detentions, the department's internal review, and feedback shared during public meetings and community forums.

Executive summary findings and recommendations

Following its review, the COB concluded that aspects of the June 14 interaction warranted additional attention related to officer professionalism, community trust and police-community relations.

The board recommended actions focused on strengthening relationships between officers and the community, enhancing professional development, and addressing concerns raised through the review process.

Read the Community Oversight Board executive summary, which provides a public overview of the board's review, findings and recommendations.

City response and actions

Zimmerlin reviewed the Community Oversight Board's report and identified several actions to address concerns related to professionalism, communication and community trust.

“The board identified concerns that deserve attention, and we take those concerns seriously," Zimmerlin said. "While I believe the investigative detention was consistent with legal standards, I agree with the board's concerns regarding professionalism. We can uphold our responsibility to respond when officers believe a situation may present a safety concern while also ensuring those interactions are conducted in a respectful and professional manner. That's where we see an opportunity to improve and strengthen trust within our community.”

The involved officers completed coaching and counseling after city leadership identified concerns related to professionalism during the encounter. The officers acknowledged that they allowed frustration with the situation to affect how they communicated and expressed remorse for the comments they made. The counseling reinforced department expectations for professional communication, professional conduct and investigative detentions, while underscoring the need for ongoing training that helps officers manage challenging interactions in a professional and respectful manner.

City leadership also determined that the concerns raised through the review process present an opportunity for broader learning across the department. In addition to the coaching and counseling provided to the involved officers, the city is investing in departmentwide professional development aimed at strengthening professionalism, communication and community trust.

As part of that effort, the department is working with an experienced facilitator to develop training for all officers. The training will support candid discussions about perceptions of local neighborhoods, conscious and unconscious stereotypes, multicultural relationships, interactions with people with disabilities, and workplace culture factors that can influence decision-making and professional conduct.

The training is designed to strengthen understanding of the diverse community officers serve, encourage open dialogue and reinforce expectations for respectful and professional interactions. Insights from those discussions will help inform future professional development efforts and ongoing conversations with the COB. The police department is also partnering with the Battle Creek NAACP to develop educational programming that will help young people better understand police interactions and their rights, while fostering constructive dialogue between youth and law enforcement.

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About the Community Oversight Board

The Community Oversight Board was established under City Ordinance Chapter 286 to provide community input and review of certain police-community complaints. The board serves in an advisory role to the City Manager and helps promote transparency, accountability and trust between the community and law enforcement.