Executive Directive 2022-7: Reducing Violent Crime

To: State Department Directors and Autonomous Agency Heads
From: Governor Gretchen Whitmer

As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me. Today, too many families in Michigan do not feel safe in their neighborhoods because of crime and gun violence. That is unacceptable. Nearly 1 in 3 reported violent crimes involve a firearm, and in the first six months of 2022 alone, over 450 Michiganders have died because of gun violence. We must reduce violent crime and gun violence so Michiganders feel safe as they go to work, drop their kids off at school, and live their lives. 

Since I took office, we have delivered $1.4 billion to help local governments fund law enforcement, first responders, and so much more. I just signed my fourth balanced, bipartisan budget, making additional investments to help communities invest in police officers and first responders, study the causes of gun violence in Michigan, and improve training and resources for state police. These are steps in the right direction, but we must do more. That’s why, last year, I proposed the MI Safe Communities plan, which would boost funding for law enforcement officers and get illegal guns off our streets.

We now have an unprecedented opportunity to make long-overdue investments in public safety. Last month, Congress passed and the President signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, empowering local law enforcement agencies, mental health providers, and schools to use federal resources to reduce violence in our communities. We must deploy these resources effectively to tackle the root causes of violence and invest in prevention. Together, we can reduce crime, save lives, and protect public safety.

Acting under sections 1 and 8 of Article 5 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, I direct the following:

1. Departments and agencies must review the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Pub. L. 117-159, and take all necessary steps, consistent with applicable law, to maximize Michigan’s allocation of federal funds. To carry out this directive, each department or agency that may qualify for funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act must identify, within 30 days, a designee from within the department or agency to oversee the department’s or agency’s efforts and to facilitate inter-departmental coordination.

2. The Michigan State Police (“MSP”) must evaluate opportunities to improve Michigan’s process for reporting relevant criminal, mental health, and juvenile records under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and related federal law to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (“NICS”), National Crime Information Center Database (“NCIC”), and Interstate Identification Index (“III”).

As part of this evaluation, MSP must:

(a) Consult with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (“MDHHS”);

(b) Consult with the State Court Administrative Office (“SCAO”), at SCAO’s discretion; and

(c) Apply for any appropriate grants related to improving the system for reporting criminal, mental health, and juvenile records under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

3. Under MCL 16.107, MSP must create the Community Violence Intervention Office (“Office”). The Office will be responsible for coordinating state and federal grants related to community violence intervention programming and must coordinate regularly with MDHHS and all state departments and agencies that may qualify for funding under these grants.

This directive is effective immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation in implementing this directive.

Click to view the full PDF of the executive directive.