The city’s entire police force showed up in uniform to stand together in staunch support as their leader was dismissed by a unanimous vote of the Clarkston City Council Monday.
Police Chief Ernie Combs was fired, effective immediately, in a special session called by the council in a move they claimed was in the city’s best interest.
‘I think (the council) made a big mistake tonight,? said Officer Ron Fanone. ‘They made a comment that they had good officers’the reason they have good officers is because they have a good chief. I don’t know what they want, but they’re not going to find anyone better than Ernie Combs to do it.?
Councilman Bill Rausch made a motion to fire the chief at council’s last regular meeting Feb. 26, but the motion was postponed on advice of city attorney Thomas Ryan, who cautioned the council to refer back to the city charter and follow proper protocol in the matter.
Combs? attorney, Arnold J. Shifman, from the Royal Oak firm of Cooper, Shifman, Gabe, Quinn and Seymore, cautioned council that ramifications from the action were probable.
‘I think you’re making a terrible mistake,? Shifman warned the council. ‘You’ll be buying yourselves expensive litigation in spite of all the comments made at previous meetings that he’s an employee at will and you can get rid of him whenever you want.?
Shifman expressed his opinion that council ignored city charter guidelines both about the management, and the termination process of the police chief.
‘I have memos and tapes from a certain council individual who pays no attention to the provisions of the charter,? he said, ‘and decides that no matter what the charter says, he is going to determine how this police department’is going to be run.?
Reaction from residents, whose presence in the small city office created a rare standing-room only situation, was mixed.
‘The chief seems more interested in criminalizing community behavior, rather than managing or stopping it,? said Clarkston resident Tom Stone, who supported the chief’s termination. ‘For example, he wanted to limit the number of teenagers who could meet in the park at any time, and limit what he considered noisy kinds of behavior.?
Stone claimed both examples were infringements on constitutional rights, and pointed out that Combs, on more than one occasion, asked the council to prohibit such behavior.
But others had more positive remarks.
‘I’ve known Chief Combs for a few years,? said resident Don Engle. ‘The publicity was that he doesn’t make himself visible, but he does that very much. He’helped me the past four years on the Toys for Tots drive, he does a safe job at protecting residents during parades, he brought in a DOT officer, which cut down truck traffic, made the roads safer, made the village quieter and safer. He’s done a good job.?
Several of Combs? officers also stepped up to make comments.
‘Ernie Combs is above board on all items,? said patrol officer Brian York. ‘Its improper for you to fire him without giving him a reason for why he’s being fired.?
The council, however, maintained the position that removing the chief from his position was in the best interest of the community.
‘We are a bedroom community and that requires a different kind of enforcement than I think your 20-plus years required in the City of Ferndale,? said Councilwoman Kristy Ottman, addressing the chief directly. ‘I feel your experience in that type of environment precludes you from giving this community what we really desire, which is more of a hands-on approach to the people.?
Mayor Sharron Catallo agreed, stating that while the problem has not been previously publicized, it is not a new issue.
‘It isn’t a six-month problem,? she said. ‘It’s gone on for a number of years.?
Catallo went on to explain that while former Police Liason Scott Meyland and current liason Bill Rausch approach the situation in different ways, they are nevertheless in agreement that Combs needs to be replaced.
‘The messages to the chief has been pretty much the same,? Catallo said. ‘And that message has come to the liason though the council.?
It was a difficult moment for the city’s longtime mayor.
‘You seem to not understand what we want in community policing,? she said, reminding the chief of a number of conversations the two shared on the matter. ‘This has been very difficult and I think we’ve given you as many chances as we can.?
Meanwhile, other members of council expressed frustration, trying to do the job they were elected to do with the ongoing threat of litigation and repercussions.
‘If we don’t have the right to hire and fire as we see fit, then we can’t do our job,? said Councilman Cory Johnston. ‘Our whole role is to do what we think is best for the city, that’s why we were elected. We can be unelected at the next term, but while we’re serving, that’s our job.?
Johnston went on to acknowledge the possibility council did not follow correct procedure, but the issue was not approached in a careless or clandestine manner.
‘We don’t dismiss people too often,? Johnston said. ‘So we don’t follow procedure too close. But we don’t do it to malign anyone or hide anything. I think we’re pretty open and above board about how we do things, more so than a lot of communities.?
The meeting adjourned after less than 40 minutes, and Combs attorney stood firm in his conviction that city officials acted erroneously.
‘I’ll have to get my client’s OK, but as far as I’m concerned, everything was done improperly,? said Shifman. ‘As long as I’ve been practicing law, this is the first time I’ve heard a council say ‘we want a PR guy, not someone who’s going to go out and enforce the law.? I hope my client gives me the authority to proceed.?