Belk: Fewer GRPD officers on the streets | News

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM)- Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk says he'll continue to work with city leaders to cut costs, but says, "in the end, what it means is fewer officers on the street."  

Belk was reacting to a report released Tuesday that surprised city commissioners.

That report says the city's obligations to pay pension benefits to police and firefighters was is almost $1 million higher than forecast.   That development adds urgency to the police department's efforts to transform itself to a lower-cost operation by the time a public safety millage expires in 2015.

Mayor George Heartwell Tuesday suggested immediate cuts be made to the police department - but other commissioners said the city should wait for recomendations from a report on how the department can save money by collaborating with other are police departments.