Contract negotiations between the City of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Police Officers Association continue. It was a main topic of discussion during Monday night’s city council meeting.
A tentative agreement will give the police chief the authority to suspend an officer without pay for up to six months and extend a new officer’s probationary period. City Council Member Chip Smith from the fifth ward explains another administrative power the police chief would be given through the tentative agreement.
Council Member Chip Smith: Much of the disciplinary action for brutality or excessive use of force, or tampering with evidence, or lying, the chief can take unilateral action and fire, terminate that officer.
Currently, many of the issues mentioned are resolved through arbitration. Smith says the tentative agreement will allow the police department to quickly respond to complaints filed against a police officer.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
