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Council approves police reorganization: adds two captains, eliminates deputy chief and a lieutenant
Summary
Council approved a police organizational restructuring that creates two new captain positions, eliminates the deputy chief role and one lieutenant, and authorizes a FY2026 budget amendment; the union has signed the letter of agreement to include the captain positions in the bargaining unit.
The East Lansing City Council on Jan. 6 approved changes to the police department organizational chart that add two captain positions, eliminate the deputy chief position and one lieutenant, and include a small fiscal-year 2026 budget amendment.
Human Resources Director Emily Kenny introduced the item and Assistant Chief Matt Craft explained the rationale: the changes aim to stabilize leadership, strengthen succession planning and retain institutional knowledge. "By adding an additional rank to our organizational structure this will allow staff to continue to learn and grow with additional career advancement opportunity," Craft said. The conversion creates salary-position captains who will not be eligible for overtime; staff estimated the net FY2026 budget impact at approximately $26,430.
The union has already approved the letter of agreement to add captain positions to the bargaining unit. Council discussed succession planning, overtime implications, and rank structure; members approved the organizational change and the accompanying budget amendment by voice vote (motion by Whelan; second Meadows).
Next steps: staff will implement the chart changes, apply the LOA terms, and bring any classification details to HR for implementation.
