LANSING, MI- The Detroit News reports that a recently released report by the Michigan House Oversight Committee accuses the director of the Michigan State Police, Col. James Grady, of routinely displaying a “disregard for past practice and policy,” using race as the basis to promote key leadership personnel, and retaliating against anyone who dared question his decisions.
The Republican-controlled committee released the report this week and is the latest in a series of controversies undermining the agency, which is already dealing with multiple lawsuits and plummeting morale among rank-and-file troopers. In June, a whopping 98% of troopers polled by the Michigan State Troopers Association cast a no-confidence vote for Grady and his second in command, Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe.
Brimacombe in particular was singled out for scathing criticism in the report, which followed an investigation that was “triggered by, but roughly coincided with, the public release of votes of ‘no confidence.’”
“The department’s most pressing challenge may no longer be external oversight or funding, but the restoration of internal confidence in its own leadership structure,” the report read. “...the toxic environment created by Grady and Brimacombe is obvious when speaking to current members of MSP leadership.”
In response to the report, Grady issued a statement stating that he will focus on “doing what’s best for the agency, our members, and the people of Michigan. I remain focused on supporting our dedicated, hardworking members, who work each day to deliver critical public safety services that have contributed to reductions in violent crime.”
Shiny-faced Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has maintained her support for Grady, whom she appointed to lead the agency in 2023.
“We have full confidence in Colonel Grady to get the job done,” Whitmer spokesperson Stacey LaRouche told The Detroit News earlier this month.
“Colonel Grady has demonstrated steady, principled leadership at the helm of the Michigan State Police, dedicating more than 25 years to serving and protecting the people of Michigan. Thanks to the efforts of Colonel Grady, troopers across the state, and their close collaboration with local law enforcement, Michigan has seen significant drops in violent crime. He’s also had troopers’ backs fighting for pay raises for the men and women who risk their life every day to keep our state safe.”
The News reached out to LaRouche for comment, however none was returned.
The report stemmed from questions raised by Rep. Mike Mueller, a Republican who leads the appropriations subcommittee, in May. Mueller expressed concern about irregular promotions at the MSP, overspending, and multiple lawsuits filed against the agency’s top brass.
One promotion Mueller questioned was that of a trooper promoted to captain who had never served a single day in the division he now leads, who was selected over a career officer who had been acting in that very role. To make matters worse, that newly-appointed captain is under investigation for misusing a state vehicle.
The investigation that was initiated subsequent to that hearing and another one in July included “the deposition by House legal staff of nine current or former employees of MSP, including seven current or former uniformed officers, one former civilian employee, and one current civilian employee; a joining hearing of the Oversight Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee for the MSP at which MSP DIrector Col. James Grady appeared and testified; review of publicly available reports, correspondence, and other materials.”
The report showed that the investigation “revealed concerning developments and circumstances at MSP, all of which contribute to an environment of low morale in the department and low trust between MSP personnel and leadership. Col. James Grady and Lt. Col AImee Brimacombe, the department’s director and chief deputy director, respectively, are prominent causes of the negative environment at the department according to those who have witnessed their leadership most closely.”
The report said that Grady had a “tendency to shut out experienced voices when making major decisions,” which “resulted in unexplainable promotions and demotions,” resulting “in poor communication that negatively affect department personnel and raise questions about performance levels.”
“Similarly, Col. Grady perceived lack of concern for prior practice and department policy appears to be caused in part by his preference for making decisions unilaterally, heaven at risk of mistakes.”
After Grady’s appointment, “internal tensions quickly emerged as personnel decisions began to reflect a pattern of abrupt demotions, reassignments, and transfers,” the report said. “Several senior officers and staff described these actions as being driven less by performance or objective evaluation and more by loyalty to the director.”
The report also noted that neither Grady nor Brimacombe had ever held leadership positions.
“Brimbacombe’s ability to lead the department is in serious doubt based on the available evidence,” the report said. “Brimacombe has created tension with many other members of the department since assuming the role of chief deputy director.”
“Brimacombe has been the subject of multiple Professional Standards Section (PSS) investigations in recent years,” the report continued. “These investigations include allegations that she misused state property, that she failed to maintain her training records, and that she made false statements in a complaint against her then-supervisor, Tom Deasy.
“...The most serious allegation against Brimacombe is that she filed a false complaint with PSS, wherein she alleged that Tom Deasy and (former MSP Human Resources Director) Stephanie Horton discriminated against her and other MSP personnel based upon protected characteristics.” Brimacombe claimed Deasy and Horton had “harassed her.” That report was “closed as unfounded.”
The report alleged that the complaint Brimacombe filed against Deasy and Horton came shortly after Deasy filed reports about Brimacombe’s alleged misuse of a department vehicle and failure to maintain training records.
The misuse of vehicle complaint followed a 2021 incident in which Brimacombe clocked nearly 10,000 miles on her state-owned 2015 Buick Regal. When asked about the excessive mileage, Brimacombe claimed she drove the vehicle around her neighborhood “to keep the battery from dying,” the report said.
“When (an MSP official) pointed out that the mileage did not correspond to merely tooling around her neighborhood, Brimbacome reiterated that she only drives the vehicle locally,” the report continued.
A subsequent investigation by the PSS “determined that Brimbacombe’s explanation that she drove the vehicle to work and around the neighborhood to keep the battery from dying could not account for the nearly 10,000 miles she put on the vehicle. Based on her appearances at headquarters, trips between headquarters and her home could only account for around 1,300 miles. Eventually, Brimacombe admitted to also taking the vehicle to her second home in Traverse City.”
The report completed by PSS was made available to the House upon a records request from the chair, but Brimacombes' statements were heavily redacted, which some believe was an effort to preserve her rights under Garrity v. New Jersey, which protects law enforcement officers from prosecution for acts admitted to in the course of compulsory disciplinary proceedings.”
“Based on the reports available to the House, there is no reasonable interpretation of the available facts that would lead to a conclusion other than that Brimacombe both misused her assigned vehicle and was untruthful and insubordinate about the situation when she was confronted. PSS found the allegations in this complaint sustained.”
During the investigation, Lt. Col. Ryan Pennell was interviewed and “provided clear insight into Grady’s interview process–and at least some of the factors Graddy deemed to be important–prior to the promotions and demotions that followed,” the report said. Pennell was interviewed twice by Grady and Brimacombe.
“Grady made clear to Pennell that his mission is to ‘diversify’ leadership,’” the report said. “According to Pennell, Grady forewarned Pennell that Grady didn’t expect Pennell to remain in the leadership team because Grady wanted to ‘diversify the leadership team.’
“Pennell was given the chance to interview for a lieutenant colonel position in Field Services,” the report continued. “During that interview, he was asked for his views on diversity in the MSP. In response, according to Pennell, he said that diversity is more than just race and includes socioeconomic status, upbringing, education, family life, and where one is from. Grady then told Pennell that ‘diversity is race,’ and that ‘[i]t’s black and white, and we’ve had a race problem in the nation and MSP forever.’”
The report concluded that based on “Pennell’s description of this set of exchanges,”...his “ability to remain in leadership depended greatly on whether he would bring diversity to the organization rather than job performance.”
Another now-former trooper, Sarah Kreps, the agency’s former chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer, alleges that Grady retaliated against her after she expressed concerns about his hiring people based on race in an Oct. 14, 2025, lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Another lawsuit filed Dec. 8, 2025, in Wayne County Circuit Court alleges that Grady held a “petty grudge” against Heather Luebs, a former MSP senior executive management assistant who had served the agency since 2003. Luebs alleged she was demoted and had her pay cut after she mistakenly sent a text following the union’s no-confidence vote.
The report says that, “Promotions and demotions within the MSP are not the only decisions which have demonstrated questionable judgment and a reluctance to take action on the advice of actual subject matter experts,
“Depositions of senior officers and civilians reveal a deeply insular leadership culture at MSP that shuts down communication, ignores the expertise of seasoned personnel, and fosters uncertainty, frustration, and low morale throughout the department,” the report continued.
“The poor communication is intertwined with the insular decision-making and largely led to the low morale following the string of haphazard promotions and demotions once Grady took charge,” the report said. “The fact that Grady has enabled to run the department with an iron fist and unfettered discretion is another theme common to the descriptions of life working at MSP.”
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