LANSING, Mich. — Most Michigan State Police troopers voiced a lack of confidence in state police leadership in a recent internal poll of membership, prompting calls for them to resign from Michigan State Police Troopers Association, the MSP's Command Officers Association and Republican lawmakers.

The poll, conducted between June 2 and June 6, asked members of the Michigan State Police Troopers Association if they had confidence in the leadership of Col. James Grady and Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe. About 98%, or 1,167, responded "no," and nearly 2%, or about 18 people, responded "yes," according to results from the union.

The survey of troopers was conducted by contacting members on their personal emails via a third party that administers the union's website, said Trooper Nate Johnson, president for the Michigan State Police Troopers Association.

In a letter to Grady and Brimacombe on Monday, the troopers' and command officers' associations called on both to step down from their positions in light of the "no confidence" vote.

"Clearly, you have lost the support of your essential employees. Moreover, you are no longer able to achieve the department's mission and philosophy of leadership," the letter from Johnson and Command Officers Association Executive Director Paul Pummill said.

There are roughly 1,150 troopers across the state and a total of 1,860 enlisted members, according to tallies as of late May.

The release of the results in a Saturday memo spurred calls from some Republican lawmakers for changes in leadership at the state department.

"Gov. Whitmer needs to replace these two individuals immediately to restore MSP to the excellent department that it once was," state Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, said in a statement on social media. "We need to restore departmental integrity, morale, recruiting, and retention."

Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a Porter Township Republican who is running for governor, called the vote a "damning indictment" of leadership and should lead to a change in leadership at the department.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office said Grady "has demonstrated strong and steady leadership" at the department and attributed "major drops in violent crime" to Grady and troopers across the state.

"He's also had troopers' backs by fighting for pay raises for the men and women who risk their life every day to keep our state safe," said Stacey LaRouche, a spokeswoman for Whitmer's office. "We have full confidence in Colonel Grady to continue getting the job done."

The department, in response to the vote, said Grady has made efforts to listen to feedback from troopers and is focused on "moving the department forward" while also "maintaining the department’s proud tradition of service."

"Under Colonel Grady’s leadership, the department has continued to invest in better training and professional development opportunities, updated equipment and improved technology," the department said in a statement.

The vote of no confidence comes as the Michigan State Police leadership has come under scrutiny for personnel controversies involving department leadership that lawmakers believe have in part led to plummeting moral among troopers.

Last month, the department was the subject of a House Oversight Committee hearing that discussed irregular promotions within the department, overspending and litigation involving the department's top brass. Mueller, at that time, recounted several different issues that had cropped up within MSP leadership in recent years, focusing largely on irregular promotions and demotions within the leadership team.

Brimacombe, an attorney, was promoted from first lieutenant to chief deputy director — advancing several ranks simultaneously — shortly after being disciplined for using a department vehicle for personal use, Mueller said.

State police department policy at the time required a two-year delay between when an individual is disciplined and any sort of promotion. Brimacombe also received a $9,100 performance bonus within four months of being promoted, even though department policy requires someone to have served in a given position for a year before receiving a performance bonus, Mueller said.

In 2023, the entire command staff at the Michigan State Police Flint Post was placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing internal investigation and litigation over staff promotions after troopers alleged the commander fed test questions to those she wanted to advance. When questioned on the issue, Grady hesitated regarding his communication on the matter with the staff commander, Mueller said.

In 2023, the Shiawassee County prosecutor charged two troopers with misconduct in office and misdemeanor assault and battery after they arrested a man on a bicycle they believed to be carrying drugs. The man, Jacob Long, was the brother of Tiffany Homola. Homola was an acquaintance of Brimacombe and contacted Brimacombe about the issue via Facebook Messenger.

A Shiawassee County judge dismissed the charges against the troopers, at which point Long’s family filed a civil case. The case was resolved relatively quickly for $999,999, Mueller noted, a dollar below the million-dollar threshold that would have required Whitmer’s office to sign off on the settlement payment.

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