LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been doubling down on her support for Michigan State Police (MSP) Director Col. James F. Grady II, even as the rank-and-file troopers she expects to protect the public have effectively said they wouldn’t trust him to guard their coffee table.
Troopers say “no confidence.” Whitmer pushes back.
In what appears to be a huge breakdown in respect between troopers and their command staff, members of the MSP Troopers Association and Command Officers Association delivered a 98% no- confidence vote in Director Grady and Deputy Director Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe back in June – an emphatic message straight from the folks in the field.
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But instead of reading the room (or the union ballot), the governor’s office has repeatedly issued glowing statements about Grady’s leadership and his “steady, principled” direction – even while lawsuits over alleged workplace harassment and questionable personnel decisions swirl around the agency.
GOP calls for MSP shakeup as Whitmer defends state police brass.
In October of last year, Michigan Senate Republicans formally urged Governor Whitmer to remove MSP Director Grady and Deputy Director Brimacombe, sending her a letter demanding their resignations or dismissal amid ongoing controversies. Lawmakers cited a host of issues, including contested promotions, a spate of departures, past reports of exam-rigging, the director’s handling of a fatal chase, and a no-confidence vote from troopers as reasons leadership has eroded trust in the agency.
Yet Governor Whitmer and her spokespeople have reiterated the governor’s confidence in Grady’s decades of service and credited the department with crime reductions, pushing back against what they characterize as partisan complaints.
No confidence from the ranks puts MSP leadership under a cloud.
Whitmer’s political talking points, however, do little to address the central issue now hanging over the agency: when nearly every trooper and command officer says they have no confidence in leadership at the top, it raises serious questions about morale, accountability, and whether public safety is being served by a command structure its own workforce doesn’t trust.
For now, Whitmer is standing by her director – but that loyalty may have an expiration date. If a Republican governor wins in November, a leadership change at the Michigan State Police is widely expected.
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Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Leonard has already been explicit about his intentions, saying in an interview with Michigan News Source that he would replace Grady if elected. “When I’m elected the state’s next governor, there will be a new state police colonel.” Other Republican candidates will undoubtedly be taking the same position if elected governor.
