Wayland Police Chief Dan Miller is Fired

[XLFD]

WAYLAND -- Police Chief Dan Miller, suspended since early January from his long-time job, was told Thursday that he violated city policy 32 times in the past.

The notice of the violations, presented to Miller by interim Wayland City Manager Terry Hofmeyer, came as Miller is to learn today whether he keeps his 26-year job as Wayland police chief.

Miller said the alleged policy violations are minor and most are related to earlier allegations involving a state police probe over possible mismanagement of confiscated evidence.

The state Attorney General's office recently cleared Miller of any criminal wrongdoing of the allegations. In one instance, he was accused of keeping a seized GPS unit for his own use.

Miller was cleared more than a month ago, but he remained on paid suspension by the interim city manager pending an internal investigation of other possible wrongdoing.

Many community members have come to his aid, packing City Council meetings to urge the board to reinstate Miller to his full duties.

Miller said Thursday that he had a "predetermination" meeting with Hofmeyer that lasted less than five minutes. During that meeting, he was handed a list of 32 alleged policy violations that happened in the past and asked for any comment.

Miller said he did not know what would happen today with the city manager's decision, expected to be released to the media mid-morning.

He considers all of the alleged violations to be minor. Some involved his service of a personal protection order notice and others involved investigative document he had taken home to study.

Miller has a 40-year career in law enforcement, including 26 years as chief of Wayland police.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/04/suspended_...

 

WOOD TV confirms that Dan Miller has confirmed his firing this morning.  The Ludington Torch has been following this story since the beginning of the year, and this looks to be just the start of a brewing controvery.  Will this turn out like the brouhaha about a decade ago where the Chief prevailed over a corrupt City Manager?  Or have the tables turned on the Chief? 

Read more here at: 

 http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/wayward-and-waylaid-i...
http://ludingtoncitizen.ning.com/forum/topics/the-tail-wayland-the-dog

 

In case you missed it the first time.

 

[Phil Convissor]

XLFD,In short order, Circuit ct moves Slow, circuit ct handles custody cases, the two of them had kept my daughter for 2 months illegally from me. I file for custody, did I mention how slow circuit is.

PPOs take presidence, they filed a ppo, by the time the custody hit her desk as it was too late, the PPO was in motion.

It's not the law or the judicail system that's f----ed up, it is the few people and their conterparts in this case, who abuse the system for there own naccisitic needs that make it appear to be F----ed up.

I can appreciate your making lite of an already f---ed up situation. but believe u me you are the only one who finds any humor in this.

He has no defense for going against his bosses wishes, keep the city and himself out of his girlfriend and ex's business,Or anything that could be percieved as getting in their business. He agreed, at first then decided to disagree.

I will not rest until he at least pays in some way, if not to at least admit to my daughter he did us wrong, than with his job.

I truely believe that is still not enough justice for the damage he helped do to us, but I'm willing to settle for that, and that is more than fair to him. 

[XLFD]

Phil, that's one thing I will most certainly agree with you on.  Circuit Court is slow.  I started a FOIA appeal in CC last year at the beginning of October, and I still haven't seen a day in court yet, except for the one day 5 months into it that Hon. Judge Richard Cooper admitted that there was an appearance of impropriety because his son was part of the legal team that stepped forward for the City of Ludington over 4 months prior.  Just so you know, it's statutorily declared that FOIA appeals are to be done as expediently as possible.  Eight months don't cut it in my book, particularly with what I found in the records I have been given so far.

As for what the City Manager had said and what you allege the City manager to have said is two different things.  The City Manager asked him to not get involved in any complaints or their follow-ups.  That is sage advice, and the Chief followed that advice from what I see on the table. 

You say the CM said to keep himself and the city out of his girlfriend and ex's business or anything that could be perceived that way.  Not only is that a vague and  badly defined order, the Manager cannot do that.  It would be an abuse of power.

Members of the WPD have duties to the community.  Your ex-wife and the chief's ex-wife both are Wayland citizens.  If an emergency takes place at either woman's home, and the Chief stated that the WPD cannot get involved because of that standing order, and something went down because it took Allegan County units a long time to respond, who should be blamed?  Certainly not the Chief, he was following orders. 

So what makes you so upset with Chief Dan Miller to make you want him to pay?  Has he further alienated your daughter against you?  Has he caused you some other perceived hurt? 

[Fran Cisco]

Mr. Con Visser seems like you have a grudge. Court records speak for themselves with convictions.

[XLFD]

The news from Wayland today has an interim police chief from Paw Paw being installed to take Dan's place in his absence, as the City decides who should be the new Chief of Wayland's police.  Ironically, Paw Paw was the place where the mother of 5 kids was nabbed for leaving her kids in the car just before mother day, with no kid over 9 years old.  Can't tell whether this was the deciding factor though.  Such issues may lead one to pause. 

Hidden pun alert on the last sentence.  Dan Miller may still come back, but it's looking less likely.