The building was searched by K9s from ELPD, the Michigan State University Police Department, and the Michigan State Police Department. A bomb was not found, Andrew Graham reports.
In the last four years, ELPD has used force against more Black people than white people, while whites in the population well outnumber Blacks. The City Manager’s call for expert analysis was met with harsh criticism Monday night.
The 15 complaints include instances of employees cheating on time cards, an off-duty officer driving drunk, an officer with uncontrolled rage, an officer joking around with pepper spray, and a case of excessive use of force that involved an officer tasing a suspect, leaving the suspect with a broken collarbone and broken rib. Police investigators found some other complaints unfounded.
ELPD Chief Kim Johnson calls the situation “unacceptable” and says he is determined to “take all necessary corrective actions within our agency” if further review of the data bears out the apparent pattern.
The HRC’s discussion on Wednesday evening will likely involve ongoing concerns about police use of force, ELPD policies, racial bias in policing, and policing transparency. ELi’s Alice Dreger explains the context.