House Oversight Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer today highlighted a newly published committee report that delivers accountability for Michigan State Police (MSP) leadership, its hardworking troopers, and the people of Michigan.

Michigan State Police Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe announced her pending retirement last week prior to the release of the damning report, which outlines a toxic work environment at MSP and casts significant doubt on her ability to help lead the department. Throughout the current legislative term, DeBoyer and the House Oversight Committee have been investigating alleged missteps, misconduct and instability from MSP leadership.

The report reinforces months of bad headlines while corroborating several abuses of power and misuses of taxpayer resources. In one detailed instance, Brimacombe angrily confronted members of MSP’s human resources department and threatened their positions by referencing the Grim Reaper.

“You reap what you sow,” DeBoyer said. “Our committee has worked diligently in multiple areas to clean up state government and its departments and deliver results when state government has not operated how it should. When Lt. Col. Brimacombe was in charge, 98.5 percent of MSP troopers and 90 percent of command officers gave a vote of no confidence in MSP leadership. That’s an overwhelming number, and overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing was laid out in this report. It seems clear Lt. Col. Brimacombe looked at the facts and got out of Dodge.”

The report also included other instances of retaliatory behavior against others in the workplace, evidence of misusing state property, and false statements against a former supervisor.

In a landmark move to deliver transparency, the Oversight Committee beginning in June utilized depositions to conduct its investigation into MSP and gather information from nine current or former MSP employees. The committee continued its work despite identities of rank-and-file officers who had come forward with allegations being leaked to the media by top MSP brass in an effort to undermine the investigation.

The need for a thorough investigation of MSP leadership became clear months prior, when complaints were filed last January that Brimacombe and Grady had awarded themselves improper bonuses. In addition, Brimacombe was involved with a decision to settle a lawsuit against state troopers, even though she had a personal connection to the plaintiff’s family.

“I want to thank my colleagues on the Oversight Committee who dedicated their time to discovering the truth and delivering results,” DeBoyer said. “Ensuring state government is putting the people it serves first and that it is working in an effective fashion is not a seamless process. It can take weeks and months. Our HEAT plan for ethics and transparency pertained to the state budget, but there’s heat being applied by our Oversight Committee too. We are providing a critical layer of transparency for our state, and our work will continue in the year ahead.”