the mysterious Oakley Michigan police force (1 Viewer)

Doctor Detroit said:

The mystery can be easily answered with a trip to Owosso.

Click to expand...

saintfool said:

could be a pension scam maybe?

Click to expand...

Jayrod said:

I have no idea what is going on. My gut feeling after reading the headlines was that it was some kind of witness protection or CIA-type group. Then after reading the articles I thought maybe it was just some kind of local redneck militia group.

Click to expand...

bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

If everyone is a cop, then who are the criminals?

Click to expand...

playin4beer said:

Lived in Michigan my entire 41.9 years...

Never heard of Oakley MI nor their massive police force...

Click to expand...

Harvey said Monday, July 21, that the agency and the Michigan Attorney General's Office have started a joint investigation of the village, which has a population of 300 and a reserve officer force estimated at 100. Joy Yearout, spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Schuette, did not confirm the office's involvement and said the office had no comment.

Oakley Village Police Chief Rob Reznick said the police department and reserve force has done nothing wrong. "If there is an investigation, I welcome it," Reznick said. "We'll cooperate fully. We have nothing to hide."

Click to expand...

The township has two full-time and two part-time officers and a new patrol vehicle, purchased and outfitted with donations to the department that have totaled about $102,000, Clerk Janice Kitley said.

Reznick said he wrote a grant for bullet-proof vests and acquired guns for officers through a Michigan State Police confiscated weapons program. The department has built rapport with township businesses, and is updating rules and regulations, he said.

His work, however, has generated some skepticism in the township, where Reznick has assembled a significant reserve force and obtained money from anonymous out-of-town donors, and his attentions are divided.

He also serves as police chief in Oakley, a village southwest of Saginaw that temporarily shut down the police department this month because the village lacked liability insurance, the Saginaw News reported. Oakley's insurance carrier cited lawsuits filed against the village and concerns about the police department as reasons for terminating coverage.

Oakley police have since returned to action after the village purchased additional insurance coverage, which Reznick said was paid for by some of the department's approximately 100 reserve officers, according to the Saginaw News.

Click to expand...

bicycle_seat_sniffer said:

If everyone is a cop, then who are the criminals?

Click to expand...

Earlier this month the police, already accused of having too much political power, resumed operations without a council vote after volunteer officers paid $25,000 for department insurance.

With the Oakley Board of Trustees deadlocked 3-3 on most issues, critics compared the police to a military junta that takes over a banana republic.

"They're out of control," said Trustee Fuzz Koski. "They seem to think they don't need to have any council approval."

Click to expand...

The volunteer reserves are well-heeled out-of-towners who donate so much money that they cover the $38,000 police budget and some other government expenses.

In return, their status as auxiliary officers allows them to bring their guns into no-weapon zones such as bars and ballparks, even while off-duty.

Click to expand...

A bartender and the owners of a bar in Oakley say they have been harassed by the top cop in town, affecting their business and personal lives, and now they want him removed. Meanwhile, Oakley Chief of Police Robert Reznick denies the accusations, his attorney said tonight.

Bartender Aileen Gengler and Family Tavern owners Dennis and Shannon Bitterman filed complaints against Reznick and they were scheduled to be heard by a village police committee tonight. However, the committee decided to cancel the meeting after being questioned about the legality of the meeting and how to properly hold a closed meeting.

Gengler, 24, planned to give a complaint about Reznick, accusing him of harassment and questioning his tactics as a police officer. She said a job offer from Reznick in 2009 intrigued her at first, but she turned it down and the chief later began harassing her, Gengler said. She has felt threatened and unsafe for the past several years and thinks the chief should not be a police officer anywhere.

"There has been more than one occasion when I brought the butcher knife out to my car when I was closing by myself," Gengler said.

Click to expand...

With Oakley badges potentially anywhere in the country, Trustee Francis Koski said Oakley is serving as "the grocery store for enhanced gun permits and badges."

Click to expand...

Now, the question is why was the village given thousands of dollars in 2011 for bullet-proof vests it never received? What happened to the money?

While Oakley was eligible to receive thousands of dollars for bullet resistant vests, police chief Rob Reznick says Oakley didn't get that money, but he says it should have.

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership is a U.S. Justice Department grant program to help local police departments with the cost of bullet resistant vests. Here is a list of the 2011 award winners.

The Saginaw County Sheriff's Department was reimbursed over $1,000 for 31 vests and Genesee County got more than $1,600 to go toward the cost of 40 vests. The small village of Oakley is listed on the 2011 list of award winners, getting nearly $29,000 toward 85 vests.

The village with just 290 people is getting that much federal grant money, for that many vests?

We talked to Reznick on Thursday. He confirms that he applied for the money, but it was never collected by Oakley because the vest manufacturer did not get the vests done in time. He says if the vests would have been done, the village should have received the money.

Click to expand...