Grant money to offset Holland Police costs for three officers assigned to drug, gang task force
The Holland City Council has moved to secure federal funding for its continued participation in the West Michigan Enforcement Team, a multi-jurisdictional task force aimed at curbing narcotics and gang violence across Ottawa and Muskegon counties.
HOLLAND — The Holland City Council has moved to secure federal funding for its continued participation in the West Michigan Enforcement Team, a multi-jurisdictional task force aimed at curbing narcotics and gang violence across Ottawa and Muskegon counties.
The council unanimously approved a $42,939 allocation from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The funds are earmarked to offset the costs of three Holland Department of Public Safety officers currently assigned to the regional team.
Supervised by the Michigan State Police, WEMET serves as the primary enforcement arm for drug and gang suppression in the region. By pooling resources from local, county, and state agencies, the task force conducts high-level investigations that often result in the seizure of illicit narcotics, illegal firearms, and bulk cash.
City officials say the grant funding will be integrated into the fiscal year 2026-2027 local budget. The approval also authorizes the city manager, director of public safety, and finance director to execute a subcontract agreement with Ottawa County to facilitate the distribution of the funds.
Beyond narcotics enforcement, a specialized gang team operates under the WEMET umbrella.
That unit, made up of a Holland Police Department sergeant, two officers, and an Ottawa County sheriff's deputy — works alongside probation and parole officers to monitor known gang members.
Capt. Kris Haglund, who leads the police department’s Criminal Investigations Division, emphasized that these assignments are a core part of the department’s specialized operations rather than an expansion of the force.
"They are not additional officers," Haglund said. "They are simply assigned just like a detective or K-9 officer would be."
Haglund noted that the partnership allows the city to tap into tactics that would be difficult to sustain independently, including plainclothes surveillance and undercover operations.
"They provide numerous benefits which include, but are not limited to, the ability to work surveillance operations, undercover operations, and to work in conjunction with other agencies," Haglund said.
Typically, a WEMET team takes local cases to the national level, with investigators seeking prosecution through both state and federal courts.
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One example of that involving WEMET was the dismantling of a large-scale drug trafficking organization in the Holland area led by Jimmie "Peanut" Butler.
Police say he was involved in trafficking heroin and cocaine from Chicago into the Holland area and the Upper Peninsula between 2011 and 2017. The operation was linked to numerous overdoses and at least one death in the Holland community.
In 2019, Butler was sentenced to over 21 years in federal prison. Five other co-defendants were also sentenced as part of the joint investigation between WEMET, the Holland Department of Public Safety, and federal authorities.
— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
