Armed officers sit behind councilmembers as Ann Arbor tightens security
Armed police officers now sit directly in front of the Ann Arbor City Council during public meetings. Chief Andre Anderson of the Ann Arbor Police Department said the move is a proactive response to rising threats against public officials across the country.
The increased security was visible at Monday night’s meeting at Larcom City Hall. Multiple officers positioned themselves between the council chamber and the public audience.
“There’s been an increase of issues at public meetings across the country,” Anderson wrote in a statement to The Michigan Daily. “As Chief, I am aware of concerns regarding intense comments aimed at city leaders during council meetings. Passion can easily boil over into real security issues. Given the current climate, I have increased the security presence at these meetings. This is a standard, proactive measure.”
Council divided on safety versus intimidation
Former Councilmember Kathy Griswold spoke out against the measure during public comment. She argued that the visible police presence discourages community participation.
“To have two police officers flanking the council in a very intimidating manner is not in line with the culture of Ann Arbor, and I think that we need to carefully look at why this is necessary,” Griswold said. “We are not a police state, and this community should not be intimidated by the police, and the police should not be used to try to intimidate anyone.”
Current Councilmember Dharma Akmon, D-Ward 4, defended the decision while acknowledging the community’s discomfort.
“I certainly do not want our community feeling intimidated by the police,” Akmon said. “I also want people to be aware that Ann Arbor is not immune to the political violence that is being threatened on public officials constantly. This is not people disagreeing with us. This is people that are threatening lives and bodily harm, and it’s a scary position to be in.”
Union dispute and housing debate continue behind the scenes
The heightened security backdrop did not stop the council from tackling its regular agenda. The meeting featured an ongoing contract dispute with AFSCME Local 369, the union representing city public service workers.
David Kastner, president of AFSCME Local 369, criticized the city’s previous contract terms. He highlighted that workers received a 0% structural wage increase in 2025 despite surging inflation.
“In 2025, when inflation surged and the cost of living in this city skyrocketed, the essential workers in this city received a 0% structural wage increase,” Kastner said. “We accepted that terrible deal to help the city during an emergency, but the emergency is over, and your finances have been booming for years. Some of you don’t like me stating that fact. That we haven’t received a raise in over 30 months. Because it makes the administration look bad.”
City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. countered that most employees still saw pay increases through step raises based on tenure and performance. He noted that approximately 84% of AFSCME employees were eligible for these step increases.
Anti-displacement plan moves forward
The council also voted 9-1 to pass a resolution calling for a comprehensive anti-displacement plan. The measure, sponsored by Councilmember Cynthia Harrison, D-Ward 1, directs Dohoney to report back within 90 days with a strategy to protect existing residents from being priced out of the city.
Harrison argued that housing supply and anti-displacement support must work together.
“Housing supply and anti-displacement support are not competing strategies,” Harrison said. “The Comprehensive Land Use Plan addresses the supply side, building enough housing and including denser and more affordable housing for current and future residents. This resolution addresses the support side, making sure current residents and future residents who run into hardship have a coordinated set of resources to help them stay. We need both.”
Akmon cast the lone dissenting vote. She said she was reluctant to single out displacement as a standalone priority when the city’s comprehensive land-use plan already contains multiple goals.
Residents critical of the city’s density plan argued the resolution is performative. John Godfrey, part of the “Pause the Plan” coalition, called the effort a “too late and toothless report” on preventing the very displacement the new zoning rules would cause.
Negotiations between the city and AFSCME remain ongoing. The police presence at council meetings is expected to continue as a standard measure, according to Anderson.