JAN. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No. 1

MAN USES 1-YEAR-OLD

MAN USES 1-YEAR-OLD SONAS ‘HUMAN SHIELD,’ STABSMICH. OFFICERSBy Kate Linderman,Merced Sun-StarBAY CITY, MI. — A 1-year-old ina locked car sat on his father’slap as the 23-year-old refusedto surrender to officers saying hewas under arrest, Michigan videoshows.Newly released body camerafootage of the Dec. 11 incidentshows the altercation betweenBay City officers and the man,police said in a Dec. 18 Facebookpost.The dad is seen locked in thecar with his 1-year-old sonsitting in the front seat as policetold him he was accused ofviolating his bond conditions andunder arrest, video shows.McClatchy News is not namingthe father to protect the identityof the child.The man refused to get out ofthe car, telling police in the videothat he did not violate his bond.After minutes of arguing, theman started to drive the car aspolice and his family memberssurrounded it, yelling at the manto stop, according to the video.The toddler, whose face wasblurred, could be seen in theman’s lap.The man also told police,“You’re gonna have to kill mebecause I didn’t break the law.”As he continually refused to getout of the car and yelled at policethrough the window, officersthreatened to break one of thewindows, video showed. Theydiscussed in the video breakingthe rear windows to avoid hurtingthe child.With the toddler sitting in theman’s lap, police said he wasputting his son in danger, videoshowed.“You’re holding your son whenI told you you’re going to jail,” anofficer said in the video. “You’retrying to use him as a shield.”Officers broke the rear windowsafter approximately 10minutes of pleading with theman to get out of the vehicle,according to the video.The man was tased and pulledout of the car with the childno longer in his arms, videoshowed. As he was detained,however, officers could be heardsaying they had been stabbed.The Department of PublicSafety said the man had a knifeand stabbed and cut two of theofficers, according to a Dec. 11Facebook post.The 1-year-old was unharmedand given to his mother, policesaid.The dad is facing multiple assaultcharges and a child abusecharge, according to court records.Bay City is about a 110-miledrive northwest of Detroit.MICH. COMMUNICATIONSCENTER INTRODUCES AI ‘DIS-PATCHER’ TO ANSWER SOMECALLS TO NON-EMERGENCYLINEBy Brad Devereaux,mlive.comKALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI. —The Kalamazoo County ConsolidatedDispatch Authority is nowusing an artificial intelligence(AI) system to respond to somecalls that come in through anon-emergency line.The calls will now be processedby Ava, the dispatchcenter’s new virtual assistant.The tech is powered by Aurelian,a Seattle-based softwarecompany, the Kalamazoo Countydispatch center said in a newsrelease while announcing the AIon Thursday, Dec. 19.Ava is quick to react to requestsand respond to questions.It speaks multiple languages,officials said. The AI is “verysmart,” the agency said.The company advertises thetechnology as “a powerful VoiceAI that doesn’t just route callers,but actually solves their needs.”The AI agent is designed spe-60 The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25

The BLUES - JANUARY ‘25 61