Backlash continues against Michigan State Police leadership

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(The Center Square) – Republicans continue to push for new leadership for the Michigan State Police after 98% of troopers report they do not have confidence in the current leaders.

“The Michigan State Police, long regarded as one of the premier law enforcement agencies in the country, is in crisis,” said Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, in a statement. “Not because of crime or public policy, but because its own leadership has lost the confidence of the people who matter most: the men and women who wear the uniform.”

The poll, released by The Michigan State Police Troopers Association, surveyed 1,185 of its members June 2-6, as previously reported by The Center Square.

“Our members responded with a clear message,” the association and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association said in a joint statement.

More than 75% of its members voted in the survey and 98.48% said they did not have confidence in Col. James F. Grady II, the Department of State Police director, and Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe, the department’s chief deputy director.

Grady recently testified before a joint session of the State House Oversight Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Michigan State Police, which Mueller chairs. Mueller, a career law enforcement officer and U.S. Navy veteran, has made it his mission to dig into the many controversies that have plagued Grady and Brimacombe’s leadership.

During that session, Mueller brought up a recent policy adopted by the Michigan State Police requiring the Michigan Attorney General's Office review all excessive use of force cases.

He expressed concern that officers might fear “retaliation” from the state, asking if Grady possibly believed that was true.

“The troopers that are working the road currently today do not fear retaliation from state government by the elected attorney general when they get involved in a critical incident? That does not affect the morale of the police officers working below you,” Mueller asked Grady.

“I make decisions that are reasonable,” Grady responded.

“It was a yes or no,” Museller said.

“I make decisions that are reasonable and will positively affect the agency,” Grady said. “The answer to that question is no. The troopers will go out and do their jobs like they do every day.”

Throughout the testimony, Grady defended his and Brimacombe’s leadership.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, first appointed Grady in 2023, and Grady promoted Brimacombe as his second in command three months later.

Following the announcement of the no confidence vote, Whitmer’s office has continued to hold that she has “full confidence” in Grady’s leadership.

Still, Republicans are continuing to push for their resignation, calling it the “most significant leadership crisis” in the organization’s recent history.

“Colonel Grady and Lt. Colonel Brimacombe’s administration has been marked by deteriorating morale, a lack of trust, and questionable personnel decisions,” Mueller said in his statement. “This isn’t about identity. It’s about leadership, or rather, the absence of it.”

In the agency’s most-recent controversy, Republicans allege that the high command at the MSP leaked the identities of several officers being deposed by the Michigan House in relation to “serial misconduct” in the agency’s leadership.

“That MSP’s top brass revealed identities of officers within their department is rather ironic, considering the whole reason for these depositions is for us to get a better picture of how some of MSP’s highest command officers failed the men and women who serve under them,” said Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township. “Their effort to undermine the legislature’s investigation is despicable.”

The allegations of misconduct include accusations of favoritism in staff promotions, giving themselves inappropriate salary bonuses, and instituting policies preventing troopers from doing their jobs.

“Throughout our investigation into MSP’s misconduct, the House Oversight Committee has made very careful efforts to protect the privacy of the officers coming forward,” DeBoyer said. “Unfortunately, MSP’s top brass decided to expose their own people by revealing their identities to the press and to the public…This has only reaffirmed our belief that this department needs legislative oversight.

Mueller also pointed to the financial aspect of employee surveys like the one conducted by the association.

“Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on employee feedback efforts. What is the point of these investments if honest answers are dismissed the moment they become inconvenient,” he said. “The men and women of the Michigan State Police have spoken. Loudly. Clearly. They deserve leadership they can believe in and a governor who listens.”