Troopers to be reassigned far from county

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AEofficer116

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Troopers to be reassigned far from county

Pair complained about sheriff's office

PUBLISHED: April 6, 2006

By Chad Halcom
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

Two Michigan State Police troopers originally stationed out of Bruce Township have been pulled from that community and may soon move to another part of the state, after an appearance at a township board meeting that violated their own department policies and may have incensed Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel.
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Officials said state troopers Paul Gonyeau and Steve Kramer, who had been assigned to a substation based out of the Bruce Township fire hall near 35 Mile and Van Dyke roads, were transferred out of that facility earlier this week, and may have to move elsewhere in the state when an "administrative review" of their conduct concludes this week or next.

"They are currently still assigned within the Richmond post, so they are still in the area," said State Police Capt. Bob Clark, supervisor of the southeast Michigan region. "And we are intending to repost two troopers to the Bruce fire hall position. We're not giving up that facility."

Although the "administrative review" of Gonyeau and Kramer is still pending, township officials told The Macomb Daily this week that the men have already been advised to put their homes up for sale and to expect a transfer far away from Macomb County.

"It looks like it's political to me. Doesn't it to you?" said Bruce Township Supervisor Gary Schocke of the news that Gonyeau and Kramer are gone. "(Macomb County Sheriff Mark) Hackel was mad, he called the state police, and he's indicated he would even call the governor. From what's happened, it seems to me like he did."

Gonyeau and Kramer are two troopers who helped patrol a six-township area of northern Macomb County and address a Bruce Township board meeting March 15 on what they called possible safety concerns in cooperating with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office.

Gonyeau listed at least five instances between March 1 and March 15 where he or other troopers received advisories via radio from county dispatchers at the Sheriff's Office about possible crimes or emergency calls.

When he or other troopers tried to advise the dispatchers of their location and ability to assist, he told the board, dispatchers allegedly would not give a location of the incident or specifically told him to "disregard" the call, even if he was closer to the crime scene than the nearest deputies.

The State Police placed both men under administrative review, and a March 29 letter to the township signed by Col. Tadarial Sturdivant offered to "apologize for the actions of those troopers" who allegedly "acted wholly outside the scope of their authority and without the authorization of their command officers."

The township responded with a letter of its own Tuesday, saying the lack of proper protocol "needs to be balanced against the seriousness of the issue" before judging Gonyeau and Kramer.

Hackel referred calls seeking comment on the action to Undersheriff Kent Lagerquist, who said Wednesday that he was unaware of the State Police actions at first and denies that Hackel has exerted any political influence or pressure upon the state police.

"As professional and serious of an organization as the state police is, it would shock me to think they do anything like this alleged back-room dealing. They just don't kowtow to anybody," he said. "Plus, I don't know that many organizations that would let a person outside tell you what you can do with your own employees."

State police have said Gonyeau and Harper violated policy or standard procedures by appearing in uniform, on duty, during a township meeting as an apparent representative of the Michigan State Police without their superiors' knowledge. Clark said he expects the administrative review of both troopers will be complete by week's end.
 

bigbluemsp

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Hackle can kiss my rear end..

He's a politcal moron that has hated MSP from the start.

Kramer is a damn good man and trooper and I'll miss him. This gives me another reason to not like Sheriff's..
 

bigbluemsp

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They still deserve a medal for what they did IMHO... This will teach some Sheriff's that they can't play GOD in their county and not expect to catch hell for it. Hackel is sacrificing safety for political gain and money.
 

garryd451

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bigbluemsp said:
They still deserve a medal for what they did IMHO... This will teach some Sheriff's that they can't play GOD in their county and not expect to catch hell for it. Hackel is sacrificing safety for political gain and money.

Yes, you're right, but the postion of County Sheriff in Michigan is and has been political!

Teach them a lesson, naw, it won't

The County Sheriff Postion in Michigan has a terriffic amount of political clout, both local and state wide in Michigan. Also the County Sheriffs in Michigan has a very very poiwerful lobby, it's lobby is the Michigan Sheriff Association.
 

MacombMonitor

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I'm not familiar with the politics between Macomb County Sheriff, and MSP, but I do think that Hackel, and his crew are doing an excellent job here in Macomb County! I listen to them enough to know!

I should mention that any encounters I've had with MSP have been very professional as well...no problems.
 

seamusg

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MacombMonitor said:
I'm not familiar with the politics between Macomb County Sheriff, and MSP, but I do think that Hackel, and his crew are doing an excellent job here in Macomb County! I listen to them enough to know!

I should mention that any encounters I've had with MSP have been very professional as well...no problems.
I think the Trooper's made one very bad mistake - they got involved in politics while on duty.
 

nsrailfan6130

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I agree, and I also agree that the MCSO should have given the call to MSP's car IF it was the closest unit availabe. The Lenawee County Sheriff has always given a call to its closest unit regardless if it was Township, County, or State. Our Sheriff's Dept. has always done that. Sometimes if the State car is on the road and the County car is a tad further off than the State car for a bid, the State will sometimes offer to take the call and the SO will call off the County car. Unless it is requested for a Code 6 (Back up). Hopefully all counties will and are following suit.

Jerry Butler

seamusg said:
I think the Trooper's made one very bad mistake - they got involved in politics while on duty.
 

bigbluemsp

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nsrailfan6130 said:
I agree, and I also agree that the MCSO should have given the call to MSP's car IF it was the closest unit availabe. The Lenawee County Sheriff has always given a call to its closest unit regardless if it was Township, County, or State. Our Sheriff's Dept. has always done that. Sometimes if the State car is on the road and the County car is a tad further off than the State car for a bid, the State will sometimes offer to take the call and the SO will call off the County car. Unless it is requested for a Code 6 (Back up). Hopefully all counties will and are following suit.

Jerry Butler


This is how it works in Lapeer County with their Central Dispatch.

This is how they put calls out..

Central for an available unit near Oregon Twp for a complaint.........


That way there is no mistake at being fair to all the departments in that area. The closest car answers and they take the call, but it there are 2 units near by Dispatch figures out who is closer and then they decide which car gets it unless the other car wants to handle the call. Usualy it never gets that far.

If no one is close then they go down the list from top to bottom to find the closest car then they take the call.

Fair and Easy........
 

nsrailfan6130

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I have heard in times past to where a Sheriff will basically tell an MSP car, in no uncertain terms, to "kiss my A**, I am giving a call to a County or Township car. Some Counties do play God and their word is written in stone.

Jerry Butler

bigbluemsp said:
They still deserve a medal for what they did IMHO... This will teach some Sheriff's that they can't play GOD in their county and not expect to catch hell for it. Hackel is sacrificing safety for political gain and money.
 

nsrailfan6130

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Same goes for Lenawee & Hillsdale Counties. I monitor both Counties and I think they do an excellent job.

Jerry Butler

bigbluemsp said:
This is how it works in Lapeer County with their Central Dispatch.

This is how they put calls out..

Central for an available unit near Oregon Twp for a complaint.........


That way there is no mistake at being fair to all the departments in that area. The closest car answers and they take the call, but it there are 2 units near by Dispatch figures out who is closer and then they decide which car gets it unless the other car wants to handle the call. Usualy it never gets that far.

If no one is close then they go down the list from top to bottom to find the closest car then they take the call.

Fair and Easy........
 

bigbluemsp

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I just found out what happened to them

Paul Gonyeau sent to the South Haven Post

Steve Kramer sent to the Lapeer Post


Steve got the better deal of the 2 because he is only 30-45 mins away from his old post.
 

KB8UYC

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I could be way off here, but I dont think I am(please let me know if I am!)

This IMHO is why State should dispatch for State, County for County, and City/Township for City/Township. This nonsence that has been occuring has gotten so political that people are getting sick of it. What occurred in Macomb county has occurred in just about every other county in Michigan.......I understand why Counties dispatch for state and themselves and sometimes everyone in the whole county, but again I think it is a very bad idea, and this is what you get when you have this.

MCSD has a very HIGH reputation of being a fantastic Sheriff's department. I dont see the Deputies going against the Troopers, and that is probably why the troopers did what they did. They had every right to do what they did, they seen a problem and I am almost 100% positive that they tried numerous times in the past to retify the situation.......

my 2cents
 

bigbluemsp

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Each department capable of dispatching themselfs should do it that way.

MSP dispatchers are far better in their job roles then any other dispatcher I've known, heard or seen.
 

n4voxgill

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The Michigan State Police is the state police agency for the State of Michigan. The department was founded in 1917 as a war-time constabulary and eventually evolved into the modern agency that it is today. The department's enlisted members are called Troopers. The department had 1,835 sworn members as of June 2005.

Thus MSP is about 1/3 the size of Detroit PD.
 

bigbluemsp

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n4voxgill said:
The Michigan State Police is the state police agency for the State of Michigan. The department was founded in 1917 as a war-time constabulary and eventually evolved into the modern agency that it is today. The department's enlisted members are called Troopers. The department had 1,835 sworn members as of June 2005.

Thus MSP is about 1/3 the size of Detroit PD.


Yes but what does this have to do with the 2 good troopers being yanked around.?
 

garryd451

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bigbluemsp said:
I just found out what happened to them

Paul Gonyeau sent to the South Haven Post

Steve Kramer sent to the Lapeer Post


Steve got the better deal of the 2 because he is only 30-45 mins away from his old post.

Thanks for posting this, I been wondering about what happen to them.

I never been to Lapeer, but I am in South Haven four to five times a year.

South Haven is a town of approx 10,000 people on the shores of lake Michigan in Southwestern Michigan.

South Haven has a beautiful dowtown, beautiful beaches and they are in the middle of the Michigan fruitbelt, which has some of the best fruit You can eat!
 

MacombMonitor

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bigbluemsp said:
They still deserve a medal for what they did IMHO... This will teach some Sheriff's that they can't play GOD in their county and not expect to catch hell for it. Hackel is sacrificing safety for political gain and money.

Apparently MSP saw things differently. Do you think the Sheriff has that much influence over MSP?
 

bigbluemsp

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MacombMonitor said:
Apparently MSP saw things differently. Do you think the Sheriff has that much influence over MSP?


No but him and Granholm are best buds.

I just found out he called Jenny's office then she called and threw a gripe to the now retired Col. and he called the Major and the crap rolled from there.

So it went like this.

1) Outspeak at Meeting

2) Hackel press release

3) Hackel calls the Blonde Canadian

4) She calls Sturdavant

5) He calls the Major

6) Investigation, suspension, write up and transfer..
 
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