Oversight panel hears Rep. Mueller allege misconduct, low morale at Michigan State Police; committee seeks records

Representative Mueller, chair of the Michigan State Police subcommittee on Appropriations, told the House Committee on Oversight on May 6 that he has collected documents and internal surveys he says show leadership failures, possible misuse of funds and personnel actions that have eroded morale at the Michigan State Police.

Mueller opened his remarks by saying, “This is not an easy day for me,” and told the committee he had shifted from policymaking to appropriations to address what he described as “low morale within the state police.” He said he has sought unredacted personnel files, training records and transaction details and encountered heavy redactions or incomplete responses from MSP.

The testimony summarized multiple concerns: an $810,000 legislative transfer from post operations to executive accounts that Mueller said is unexplained; a roughly $40,000 overspend tied to a conference move; a roughly $9,000 performance bonus awarded to a newly promoted lieutenant colonel; settlements stemming from promotion-related litigation that Mueller tied to a broader promotional scandal; and employee-survey results he said show sharply lower confidence in top management.

Mueller cited internal survey results in which he said top management scored about 1.97 out of 4 on ethical standards and said employee engagement items have fallen since 2017. He read multiple written comments from troopers and supervisors that, he said, describe fear of retaliation and a loss of trust in the chain of command. “The morale of the department is sinking and it’s time to right the ship,” he told the committee.

Committee members pressed Mueller for specifics. Chair DeBoer said Mueller’s testimony “sounds like you’ve definitely done your homework.” Members asked about the personnel handling and disciplinary timeline for the lieutenant colonel whom Mueller said had sustained internal findings yet was later promoted; about who authorized performance bonuses; and about why redacted records were provided to the oversight chair rather than fully produced.

Mueller described efforts to obtain firearms and defensive-tactics training records, personnel files and earning statements and said some materials were delivered “heavily redacted.” He described internal investigations that he said had sustained findings against the lieutenant colonel for misuse of a state vehicle and failures to maintain training records; he said an internal recommendation to demote the official was not followed and instead the person received a suspension charged to vacation and later a promotion and bonus.

He also described a promotion process and litigation in which test-question irregularities at one post led to more than $400,000 in lawsuit payouts, and he said additional suit filings in that post’s district remain pending. On one excessive-force case Mueller said the criminal charge was dismissed for lack of evidence and a related civil claim resolved for “just under $1 million.”

Mueller asked the committee to request clearer documentation from MSP and to require less-redacted records so legislators can assess the department’s budget and personnel decisions. He said he intends to hold hearings on the MSP budget and that subpoenas may be necessary if the department will not cooperate voluntarily.

By unanimous consent, the committee approved minutes from the May 6 meeting and, at the close of the hearing, agreed to draft and send a letter to the colonel requesting the records Mueller outlined and inviting MSP leadership to testify. Mueller said that, if MSP declines a voluntary appearance, he would seek subpoenas to secure testimony and documents.

The committee did not take a formal disciplinary action; members said MSP will be given the opportunity to respond in a future hearing. Several representatives who questioned Mueller emphasized they wanted a transparent record and access to unredacted documents before reaching conclusions about personnel decisions or discipline.

The Oversight Committee adjourned after agreeing to prepare the request for documents and testimony.