3 Takeaways From HBO’s New Series ‘All Access PD: Grand Rapids’

It is a pretty wild experience to sign in to MAX and see the name of your city prominently featured right when you open the app, with the Grand Rapids skyline and the Blue Bridge in the background. This isn't Chicago or LA, this is GR, and initially it seems like a pretty surprising choice for a "documentary" of this scale to place, but after watching the first episode, the purpose of the series is clearer.

The police are polarizing, and if people aren't wanting to check out the series for that reason (or you don't want to pay for another streaming service), don't worry. I've got a few takeaways from the first episode.

"We are an open book."

When Chief of Police Eric Winstrom said he was giving the crew "all access", he meant it. The crews are there 24/7, document everything, including mistakes (the Chief mentions how they missed speaking to a witness and how that hindered the investigation), and body cam footage.

Speaking candidly about the state of the police department in the city is pretty surprising (and refreshing). This documentary started filming on June 2nd, 2024, and Winstrom's goal with this All Access show is to give the public a look into the inner workings of the force and its role in the community.

Chief Winstrom took over the GRPD one month after the fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya, which put the department in the national spotlight and brought public trust in the department to an all-time low. This was a topic that needed to be addressed, and the Chief does address it head-on, though it could have gotten more attention during the episode. Overall, it is unique to see a police chief speaking so openly about the shortcomings of the force.

Actions Have Consequences

The episode follows the shooting of 15-year-old Amillier Penn, who was killed last summer. The effects of the Patrick Lyoya shooting rightfully sent a wave of mistrust of the police, and the All Access shows how this mistrust has made solving other crimes difficult. People aren't willing to speak to the police like they used to as a result.

All Information Is Helpful

The GRPD is resourceful, showing how they collected evidence from anywhere, from Ring doorbell footage to Snapchat messages. The number one thing the police want to do (and feel like the overall goal with this show) is to rebuild trust with the community by showing the efforts and ways that the community can help the GRPD with their investigations.

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At one point, a detective offers to fake-arrest a witness to help preserve the witness's "street cred" because all the detective is willing to take the hit if it means getting results.

Purely from a concept standpoint, this experiment of a show is very interesting. How the public reacts to a show like this remains to be seen. The first episode is available to watch for free here and is also streaming on MAX.