The Ypsilanti Police Department has a shorthanded staff and a morale problem. This as they are tasked with replacing police chief Tony DeGiusti, who resigned on Monday.
The already short-staffed department has lost five officers in recent months. Four of them left to join other police departments, and another retired after 27 years of service.
With violent crime on the rise, burnout and overtime is high, and morale is low.
With the department short by seven officers, Ypsilanti City Manager Frances McMullen says they have support as they look to fill those vacancies.
“We do have backup with Eastern Michigan University and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department. So, if we ever needed a hand, we can count on them to back us up. As of now, that’s been working really well.”
McMullan says her top priority is to improve morale, and she plans to bring in a third party to help hire the next police chief. That process likely won’t begin until after the new city council is seated in November.
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