Leaders at the Michigan State Police are being cited for creating a “toxic environment” and sinking morale to “an all-time low” by a report released this week by the Michigan House Oversight Committee.
“Any organization that lacks trust, it adds to the stress that already exists in an, in an already stressful job,” said Representative Matthew Bierlein (R-Vassar), the majority vice chair of the Oversight Committee. “And this is one of those positions where it's really high stress."
The report cited MSP’s top brass — namely, Colonel James F. Grady II and Lt. Colonel Aimee Brimacombe — for engaging in what it described as "dishonesty," "retribution," and "unexplainable promotions and demotions." It was based on depositions with nine current and former MSP employees, as well as a review of documents from the force.
Conflict within the agency reached a head in June when two related professional organizations gave MSP’s top brass a “no-confidence vote” and called for their resignations in June. The Oversight Committee report provides a more detailed picture of the tensions roiling under the surface of the state force.
While the report stopped short of calling for Grady's resignation, Bierlein said he should step aside. "If the colonel is not willing to take on the accountability," he told Michigan Public, "I do think that at this point, the governor should step in and make a change."
But Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who appointed Grady to the top job at MSP in 2023, affirmed her support of his ability to lead the force. "Colonel Grady has demonstrated steady, principled leadership at the helm of the Michigan State Police, dedicating more than 25 years to serving and protecting the people of Michigan," Stacey LaRouche, a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement.
She credited his leadership with helping to significantly reduce violent crime across the state, and described the criticism of his leadership as “partisan attacks.”
Toxic Environment
The report characterized promotions and demotions ordered by Grady to be based more on loyalty than ability. In a few instances, longtime officers were demoted, with some claiming that their reassignments were meant to not only be “punitive” to them but to signal to others that dissent would not be tolerated.
One notable revelation in the report concerned Brimacombe, who, the authors found, was elevated from a low-level management position in which she “supervised one person at most” to second-in-command of a force of thousands. The timing of her jump through the ranks was also highlighted in the report, since it immediately followed a two-year period during which she was barred from promotions due to three conduct investigations in 2021.
One of those complaints was brought by Division Commander Tom Deasy, who headed internal affairs at MSP in 2021. He noted then-First Lt. Brimacombe for improper use of a company vehicle to the measure of “nearly 10,000 miles” at a time when her role was remote. When asked about this, Brimacombe allegedly told Deasy that she drove the MSP-issued Buick around her neighborhood “to keep the battery from dying.”
She didn’t return the vehicle as directed by Deasy, instead doing so only after then-Chief Deputy Director Lt. Col. Amy Dehner emailed her directly asking her to turn her car in by the end of the next business day. Eventually, she admitted that she used the company car to drive to and from her second home in Traverse City.
Once elevated to the second-highest rank in the state’s second largest police force, the report's authors said MSP officers and staff they interviewed indicated Grady seemed to enable her to lead with an “iron fist and unfettered discretion.” Former Human Resources Director Stephanie Horton said she “leads through fear.”
Brimacombe announced her retirement days before the Oversight Committee report was released and did not respond to a request for comment made through the MSP.
“As Director of the Michigan State Police,” Col. Grady said in a statement, “My focus continues to be on doing what’s best for the agency, our members and the people of Michigan. I remain focused on supporting our dedicated, hardworking members, who work each day to deliver critical public safety services that have contributed to reductions in violent crime.”
