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 Where is the "timeline" people need it to make a fair judgement in this case.No?/Yes?  You left that part out of your last blog?

Why? 

[Phil Convissor]

XLFD, Score you one what? "Timeline" or T-shirt? Looks like your already wearing the T-shirt. How'd you get so far off the forum anyway? it's almost as if you have 2 personalities, does it run in the family?

[AQUAMAN]

I must say now, at this point of the thread, I don't see where personalities are an issue. The posts made by all parties were just getting interesting and on point to the matters at hand. I'm going to give Phil some benefit of the doubt at this stage, simply because your home member page says you are from Wayland, Mi.. To me that means you should be able to more accurately and definitively reveal all the facts related to this matter, can you? If so, please stick to your guns, and tell us all the information we need to make an opinion that is fair and accurate. If you're a crony of the CM and administration, just seeking to confuse and betray the truth to us, then we don't need the input. Thanks all, I hope this gets us back on track on this interesting matter.

[Willy]

Aquaman

Well said.

[Phil Convissor]

Aquaman,Willy, and all who have any shred of decency following these threads, right off the bat I'd like to inform you I have zero connection with anyone at city hall Politically, I do however agree wholeheartedly with what they did. My only regret is they have no power to end his career with the fire dept., it is operated by both the city and township. 

That "Timeline" that was deleted left out a lot of pertinent info. and would open a "can of worms" that I'd hope any loving father would have no problem understanding. That is as far as I'll go, with that part.

He basically took the wrong Bull, or loving Father by the horns.

He was told by his boss, thanks to me, to stay out of it, he agreed with his boss to stay out of it, and then he got involved anyway, the MSP and the ACSD all had the same info. Why he got his "panties in a bunch" and did something irrational,(which was not the only irrational thing he did) is a question only he can answer. If  my request to the then CM to please keep him out of my business, because he had a "conflict of interest" in it, was the straw that broke this camels back, then I am glad. Irrational is not what we need in a Police Chief or Deputy Fire Chief.

 I do appreciate your understanding in this matter thus far, I'm still not clear how or why you guys decided to pay such particular attention to this case, but after my wife informed about that "Timeline", and I read it, before it was deleted, I had to give "part" of the other side, to even things out.If you still feel a need to partake in what I'll call a "small transition" for the city of Wayland then so be it. Where it goes from here is anybody's guess.

If nothing else tho, I'd like to thank the opposition for making such a big "stink" out of this. "Thank you very Much", it has given me a chance to make "part" of the true story known. Honestly? Who would give a damn, about anything I had to say otherwise?  asta lavista baby.

[XLFD]

Phil, the 32 charges are on another thread, it has a rough timeline involved with that.  Unfortunately, that's the only timeline I have at this point.  However, I am still trying to gauge what the problem with the PPO was, that you think is insubordination and THE reason to fire him, the Allegan News Online says among other things, Hoffmeyer charged Miller with:  "violating the orders of then city manager Chris Yonker by having an officer serve a personal protection order to the estranged husband of Miller’s girlfriend. In an email exchange documented in the MSP report, Miller was told by Yonker that he was not to use department resources to deal with his personal problems; Miller acknowledged this request and then sent an officer to serve the order outside of Wayland City limits a few weeks later". 

 He was not using departmental resources for his own personal use or for his own personal problems, he was given a PPO to serve on someone who just happened to be his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend.  Wayland is a small town.  Likewise, the golf clubs, GPS and tools were properly disposed of according to state law, as the other thread shows.    I don't like bad cops any more than you, but the 80 regular people who showed up at the recent City Council meeting in defense of Dan Miller should tell you what the people think about Dan, and the 2003 City Hall cleansing will likely be repeated and Dan will once again be reinstated, and/or emerge with a lot of money from a wrongful termination lawsuit.  Is that how Wayland wants to spend its resources? 

[Phil Convissor]

XLFD, You and I can go back and forth over the "same old shit" till "hell freezes over". (Pun intended) You and I are trenched in and neither one is going to budge on our opinions.

It is what it is, "hof" was right, Miller did wrong.

Millers lost sight of what is truly important, professionally & ethically, and was irresponsible in actions he took, that cannot be overlooked anymore.

"With Power comes Great  Responsibility"

You "Stick to your guns" , we'll surely stick to ours, or at the least, I will.

[XLFD]

A while ago when I originally came upon the story of Chief Miller, I thought that the Chief may have been part of 'the problem' as portrayed in this thread Wayward and Waylaid in Wayland.  Since then I have looked at the supplemental information including the 32 complaints and have decided that the Chief has been unfairly acted upon, and I want to know why.  You obviously want to believe your side and are admittedly entrenched.  Miller may have not always performed his job perfectly, he's not a paragon of virtue in his personal life, but nothing you want to focus on is really illegal or unethical. 

My question to you is if you believe me and the MSP and believe Miller is not guilty of anything illegal with the legitimate dissemination of property, and objectively look at the PPO and the process of those orders, what you have left is Miller taking some public property home, probably to work on during his off-time, and his wife (a City employee in her own right) allowing that behavior until she tosses him out on his ear (presumably for being a rascal) without prior knowledge of same and compromising his material.  That's a reason to dismiss a long term employee who has the support of the common people?

[AQUAMAN]

Ok, someone said the PPO order was served out of the city limits of Wayland, if so, why does the city chief of police have jurisdiction there? Seems that would be the county Sheriff now wouldn't it? Phil makes some good valid points, not to be ignored for sure. The disposal of the old junk property, though pretty much valueless, probably should have been disposed of more routinely I would suppose too, however, the value of less than $100 for all shouldn't warrant a firing, as much as a reprimand, perhaps even a short suspension, imho. Phil, are you connected via the live-in girlfriend somehow, the ex, or the brother of the x? I can see both sides of this matter, though it be quite a complex issue to us up here in Ludville. Seems almost like more of a personality issue, rather than basic bread and butter issues that are muddying the water. Lastly, if indeed the CM had a firm and honorable agreement with the Chief to stay out of personal business with his dept., then he intentionally did the opposite, he should be suspended at least, but firing does seem a bit over the top, even given his past infractions of some 9 years ago, that's a long time without any infractions. What say you now Phil? Don't asta lavista us yet pal, inquiring minds need to know the whole truth, thanks.

[Willy]

I couldn't have said it better Aquaman. I agree with your take on this issue and what the outcome should have been. Firing a long term Chief over this does not make sense even though he used poor judgement. There must be more to this story than what is being presented.

[AQUAMAN]

I didn't get an ansxer from Phil yet on his direct status, if any. Also, the question of xhether the PPO order xas served in toxn, or out of the city limits, lixe a Sheriff xould do. (Please excuse the continuing problems xith my ceyboard on spelling, hope you can read and understand me right nox.) I say the Chief could have simply plunxed doxn a $50 or $100 bill to reimburse the city xhen this all came to light, although the property probably xas xorth less money. Smashley has also joined in on another thread, xish he'd come over here for some details too. Thanxs. 

[Phil Convissor]

Aqua, what it matters I don't know? They took the torch off their web page anyway, but to answer your question, it was well out of the city limits, he made it personal, like I said in one of my previous blogs.  "Why he got his panties in a bunch"? and had to have it delivered himself you'll have to ask him.