Committee Procedures

Membership and Election Procedures

Members of the Committee shall be elected and will include two members of the faculty, two members of the staff and two students.

Faculty Members

  1. All employees on the Ann Arbor campus who are not registered students at the University of Michigan and who have any phrase containing any of the words "professor", "scientist", "lecturer", "instructor", "librarian", "archivist" or "curator" in any of their titles at any percentage are deemed to be faculty for the purposes of these procedures.
  2. These "faculty" are divided into two categories:
    1. Those who are members of the University Senate (see the Rules of the University Senate for definition of faculty membership) and
    2. Those who are not.
  3. There will be one elected representative from each category:
    1. The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA) will develop a slate of at least two candidates, who are members of the University Senate and who are employed on the Ann Arbor campus, for one of these faculty positions. The Secretary of the Senate will organize an electronic ballot with the aid of the SACUA and University Human Resources offices every other year. Members of the University Senate will vote for one representative from a slate of at least two. The Senate member with the highest vote will then be appointed to the Committee for a term of two years. Vacancies during a term will be filled from the nominating slate in the order of votes.
    2. University Human Resources will organize an election every other year for one representative for the active faculty who are not members of the University Senate. The slate will be developed by nominations at large and will contain at least two names. Members of this faculty category will vote for one representative from a slate of at least two candidates via an electronic ballot. The faculty member with the highest vote will then be appointed to the Committee for a term of two years. Vacancies during a term will be filled from the nominating slate in the order of votes.

Staff Members 

University Human Resources will organize the elections for the two staff member representatives. Staff members are employees on the Ann Arbor campus. One staff representative will be nominated and elected by staff members represented by a collective bargaining agreement. The other staff representative will be nominated and elected by all other staff members.These elections will be held on alternating years via electronic ballot. The two staff members with the highest number of votes will then be appointed to the Committee for terms of two years. Vacancies during a term will be filled from the respective ballot in order of the number of votes received.  

Student Members 

Two students will serve one year terms on the Committee. The Central Student Government will nominate two students for election by the student body.

Meetings

The Committee shall meet when in receipt of a grievance filed directly with the Committee. Business may not be conducted unless a quorum of the members is present. A quorum shall be one more than half of the current membership.

The Committee also shall meet two times a year to receive and discuss the semi-annual report made by the Police Chief regarding grievances submitted to the Department.

Confidentiality

All grievances and reports made to the Committee pursuant to these procedures shall be treated confidentially by the Committee. Information about a grievance will not be released by committee members, except as specified in these procedures, or as required by law. The Committee as a whole may release written statements to advise the public of the procedural status of an ongoing investigation.

Grievance Procedures

Grievances about a police officer or the Police Department may be submitted to the Committee by calling  (734) 647-7292, emailing [email protected], or filing a grievance at the office of Staff HR Services, 2005 Wolverine Tower, 3003 S. State St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. Grievances should be presented in writing using the Committee's standard grievance form.

Grievances may also be submitted directly to the Police Department. Grievances submitted to the Department shall be reported within five business days to the Committee by the Police Chief.

The Police Chief will meet with the Committee on a semi-annual basis to provide a summarized report of all grievances received by the Department during the previous six-month period.

Consideration of Grievances

Referral to the Police Chief

  • The Committee may refer a grievance to the Police Chief, who shall conduct an investigation  or review, in accordance with University policies and procedures. The Committee may supplement the referral with any specific suggestions, recommendations, or concerns it has with regard to the issues to be investigated or reviewed.
  • At any time, the Committee may request, and the Police Chief shall provide, an interim report on the progress of an investigation/review of a grievance submitted to her or him. The report may be oral and/or in writing.
  • Upon completion of the investigation or review, the Police Chief shall report to the Committee. The report shall include a summary of: the steps followed, the findings and conclusion, any actions taken, and an explanation for any unreasonable delays. The report may be oral and/or in writing. The Committee may accept the report as final, or it may ask the Police Chief to investigate further and submit another report, or it may choose to conduct additional investigation on its own.

Consideration by the Committee  

  • The Committee may conduct its own hearing of any grievance submitted to it. In conducting such a hearing, the Committee may question any  employee believed to have any information relevant to the grievance, and such employee will meet with the Committee in a timely fashion, on terms that are consistent with the University's policies, procedures and labor agreements.
  • If the Police Chief objects to the hearing, the Police Chief may register that objection to the Committee. If, after receiving the Committee's response, the Police Chief continues to object, the Police Chief may appeal to the Executive Director, Division of Public Safety and Security. If the Executive director supports the appeal, the matter shall be referred to the President for a decision.

Committee Action

Upon completion of the investigation of a grievance, the Committee may:

  1. Determine that no further action is warranted, and notify all affected persons of that decision.
  2. Report its findings and recommendations - including any recommendations for disciplinary measures against any officer of the Police Department-to the Executive Director, Division of Public Safety and Security. No portion of any such report that contains confidential information provided to the Committee shall be made public unless required by law. The Executive Director shall review the report and advise the Committee of the disposition of the matter.

Administrative Support

University Human Resources will provide administrative support to the  Committee, including receipt of grievances submitted to the Committee, logistical and communications support for the nomination and election processes for faculty and staff representatives, and any other needs identified by the Committee.

Approval of Procedures 

These procedures must be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel and approved by the Executive Director, Division of Public Safety and Security or the President. If the Committee proposes changes to the procedures, the Executive Director may approve them; however, only the President may reject them.