South Bloomfield swears in new officer; chief reports officer-involved shooting under BCI review

Mayor Aaron Thomas and the Village of South Bloomfield Council approved the emergency appointment of Derek Hoover as a police officer during their Jan. 20 meeting, and Police Chief Michael Maynard updated the council about an earlier officer-involved shooting.

Chief Maynard told the council that a South Bloomfield officer was involved in a shooting that afternoon and that the officer was not injured. He stated that the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) will complete the inquiry and that no further details would be released until that process is finished.

Council first voted to approve the appointment on first reading (motion moved by Woody Blanton, seconded by Tim Ooten), then moved to waive the second and third readings and adopt the appointment as an emergency (motion moved by Lisa McDorman, seconded by Tim Ooten). Recorded votes for both motions list council members Tim Ooten, Woody Blanton, Nicole Jenkins, Lisa McDorman, Sean Shaw and Amber Murphy as voting yes; both motions carried.

Chief Maynard also requested permission to destroy old electronic devices that are being cleared from department storage; council unanimously approved that request. After the motions, Mayor Aaron Thomas administered the oath to Derek Hoover, who was introduced by Chief Maynard.

The appointment and the equipment-disposal authorization were formal actions taken by the council; the shooting remains under BCI review and the chief said the village will not release additional information until that investigation is complete. The council did not take any additional personnel or disciplinary action during the meeting.