The complaint alleges that the Michigan State Police Director and his deputy received improper bonuses

Michigan State Police | Susan J. Demas

Both Michigan State Police Director Col. James Grady and his chief deputy, Lt. Col. Amy Brimacombe, improperly received nearly $20,000 in bonuses, according to a complaint filed with the State Board of Ethics.

Commission members are appointed by the governor and have only advisory powers. Governor Gretchen Whitmer nominated Grady for the position in September 2023.

The complaint, filed Jan. 6 by the Michigan Association of State Police Troopers (MSP) and the MSP Command Officers Association, alleges that Grady awarded himself a $10,145 performance bonus in 2024 and a $9,156 bonus to Brimacombe, in violation of both position. MSP Policy and State Guidelines for Ethical Conduct.

“The steps taken by Colonel Grady and Lieutenant Colonel Brimacombe were undoubtedly taken for their own economic gain. In addition to the provisions of the Department’s own Code of Conduct, with which other MSP employees are responsible, their actions raise ethical concerns under the state Ethics Act,” said the letter to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, signed by MSP President Nate Johnson. Troopers Association, and Paul Pummill, chief executive of the MSP Command Officers Association.

The complaint, submitted through a Freedom of Information Act request by Michigan Advance Transition, included emails from Stephanie Horton, who served as MSP’s director of human resources until April 2024, objecting to the bonuses and ultimately refusing to sign them.

“Policy states that you are not eligible for performance pay unless you have worked in your current position for at least one year during the first full pay period in February,” wrote Horton Grady on April 1, 2024. “My advice is to hold yourself to the same standards you hold other members of the department to. . . . I can’t recall any instance where we have deviated from this pay policy for probationary members.”

Later that month, Horton resigned from MSP after 23 years with the department and now serves as chief interim director employees and labor relations at Michigan State University.

In their letter to Nessel, Johnson and Pammill said that in response to their complaint, Whitmer’s office told them that because Grady and Brimacombe are considered “non-classical” public servants, they are “not subject to MSP’s internal pay policies,” a conclusion they words, caused their anxiety even more.

“Essentially, the response indicates that designated personnel are not subject to the same rules and restrictions as all other MSP personnel, including MSP’s internal policies and relevant past practices,” they wrote. “The suggestion that deviating from established past practice for personal economic gain is permissible and condoned raises serious concerns about the accountability of MSP management.”

A request for comment was sent to Whitmer’s office but has not yet been returned.

2025-03 Relevant Records, Part 1

MSP spokeswoman Shannon Banner sent a statement to the Advance when asked about the complaint.

“Integrity is the hallmark of the Michigan State Police. We are confident that all actions by the department’s leadership were consistent with the ethical standards of the state of Michigan,” Benner said.

The the complaint also alleged integrity issues surrounding Brimacombe Grady’s appointment as MSP’s principal deputy director despite a two-year moratorium on her promotion following a 2021 incident in which she was cited for using a state vehicle and failing to obey when told to return it.

The complaint said that after taking office in September 2023, Grady did not initially appoint a deputy director and instead waited more than three months to appoint Brimacombe to the position, allowing the two-year limit on her promotion to expire.

However, they say Brimacombe “jumped four ranks (from F/Lieutenant to Lt/Colonel) in doing so, which was a promotion over long-standing members of the Department who were already entrenched in those senior ranks in between”.

The complaint also said it raised questions about Grady’s “lack of integrity and disregard for policy when he was less than truthful when questioning witnesses in the 2023 Flint promotion investigation,” and included a copy News for April 2024 about an incident involving a write-off on a promotion exam in which Grady was accused of being “not fully the truth about his relationship with Yvonne Brantley, the former Flint Post commander who had to resign rather than be fired.”

Johnson and Pammill said there appeared to be a double standard between Grady and rank-and-file MSPs when it came to the very serious allegations of misleading investigators.

“(I)n his case, the Department’s professional standards division dismissed it as inconsequential and refused altogether,” they said.

The state Board of Ethics is expected to consider the complaint at its next public meeting, scheduled for March 6 in Lansing.

2025-03 Relevant Records, Part 2

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE