Eric Winstrom joined the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) on March 7, 2022, as the city’s 15th Police Chief. Chief Winstrom was born in Buffalo, New York, and spent his youth in Austin, Texas, and northern New Jersey. After graduating from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, he received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School.
Chief Winstrom joined the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in 2000 and began his career patrolling public housing on Chicago’s South Side. He became a law instructor at the Chicago Police Academy, a tactical officer, and then a detective specializing in the investigation of child abuse. Promoted to Sergeant in 2008, he led a tactical team on the West Side of Chicago before returning to the Detective Division, where he supervised CPD’s citywide team dedicated to investigating sex crimes against children. In 2014, he was promoted to Supervising Attorney of Legal Affairs, where he assisted in Federal Civil Rights litigation and became the designated First Amendment advisor for assemblies and protests. Promoted to Lieutenant in 2017, Chief Winstrom was instrumental in creating the Office of Reform Management and later became the commanding officer of policy for the CPD. In 2019, he was promoted to Captain of one of the largest stations in Chicago. He was then promoted to Commander, with the task of opening and overseeing a detective unit to cover the entire Northwest side of Chicago.
Chief Winstrom was a guest lecturer on police issues at DePaul University and a regular expert witness in police related litigation on numerous topics. He was honored by the non-profit Cabrini Green Legal Aid, for defending the rights of residents in Chicago public housing and has received over 100 awards and letters of recognition during his career, including commendations for the apprehension of multiple murderers and teaming with neighborhood groups to shut down drug sales operations plaguing residential areas. In 2020, Chief Winstrom received the Superintendent’s Award of Merit, for his efforts to bring 21st Century Policing reforms to the CPD.
When Chief Winstrom was sworn in to lead the GRPD, one of his first priorities was to review policy, training, equipment, and staffing, as well as connecting with, and learning from, the community and police department employees. Following a high-profile officer-involved shooting 25 days into his tenure, the urgency of building trust between the GRPD and the community was highlighted by national media attention and numerous protests. By July 2022, he had attended over 100 meetings with community members, including multiple question and answer sessions with neighborhood groups, business groups, high schools, universities, faith-based groups including several congregations from our refugee community, and non-profit organizations. Recruitment, training, policy, engagement, accountability, and crime reduction are priorities of Chief Winstrom, and he is committed to continually seeking out the best practices for the GRPD.
Chief Winstrom is an active Board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth, Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County, and Alternative Directions.
