Michigan local government and law enforcement leaders’ nuanced views on police accountability issues
This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders, local chiefs of police, county sheriffs, and county prosecutors regarding accountability in law enforcement, including opinions on a nationwide officer misconduct database, who should have authority to investigate allegations or prosecute evidence of officer misconduct, civilian oversight boards, and assessments of local residents’ confidence in how misconduct is handled. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the spring 2024 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).
Key findings
- There is widespread support statewide among local government and law enforcement leaders for a nationwide or statewide database identifying law enforcement officers with misconduct charges or job terminations, as long as it is accessible only to law enforcement agencies.
- More than two-thirds (68%) of local government officials, almost all sheriffs and police chiefs (88%), and elected county prosecutors (94%) support an access-restricted misconduct database.
- However, support declines substantially for a publicly-accessible misconduct database: local government officials (24%), sheriffs (32%), police chiefs (26%), and elected county prosecutors (29%).
- Law enforcement leaders (71%), local government officials (66%), and county prosecutors (59%) also express support for policies that would formally penalize law enforcement agencies that fail to review a potential hire’s history of misconduct with previous departments.
- When it comes to investigations of deputy or officer misconduct, most sheriffs and chiefs support internal investigations and believe in a role for the State Police or other law enforcement agencies, but opinions were mixed on the role of independent outside investigators. There is more opposition than support for either the Michigan Attorney General’s office or civilian oversight boards having a role in investigating officer misconduct.
- Statewide, 62% of sheriffs and 60% of police chiefs say residents in their jurisdiction are “very confident” that instances of misconduct by local law enforcement officers will be dealt with effectively, but only 21% of local government officials agree.