Fire and police commission chairs describe oversight, appointment and complaint roles to Lansing Charter Commission

Representatives of the Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners and the Board of Police Commissioners explained April 22 how their boards operate, handle complaints and participate in chief appointments, and urged the Charter Commission to clarify ambiguous charter language.

“Both the police board and the fire board have a distinction in the charter of being advisory boards with additional responsibilities,” said Steve Purchase, chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners, summarizing how the charter gives the boards advisory duties plus specific authorities related to appointment and discipline.

Police board chair D.A. Jones and vice chair Sam Brewster described differences in how chiefs are selected under the current charter language: the fire board is written to approve a list of candidates from which…