Local authorities in Michigan are overwhelmingly in favor of a law enforcement database aimed at monitoring officer misconduct; however, a significantly smaller number support public accessibility to that database.

This is a vital finding from the most recent edition of the Michigan Public Policy Survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, known as CLOSUP.

The comprehensive survey queried both local government and law enforcement representatives regarding their perspectives on accountability within policing, specifically who should possess the power to investigate claims or prosecute evidence of officer wrongdoing.

Around two-thirds (68%) of local government officials and the majority of sheriffs and police chiefs (88%) as well as elected county prosecutors (94%) endorse a misconduct database with restricted access. In contrast, only roughly a third of sheriffs (32%) and a quarter of local government leaders (24%), county prosecutors (29%), and police chiefs (26%) advocate for it to be public.

There is significant support for such a database among Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike.

“There’s a common belief that law enforcement agencies seek to evade transparency, but there is a genuine willingness to document and monitor misconduct,” remarked Debra Horner, the senior program manager of the survey.

The survey also solicited respondents’ opinions on local residents’ trust in how misconduct allegations are addressed.

Almost a third of sheriffs and police chiefs generally perceive that residents within the communities they serve have a high level of confidence that police misconduct will be addressed appropriately; however, less than a quarter of local government officials from across the political spectrum concur. Horner highlights that this latter group is seemingly pro-police, as their governmental boards and councils fund these agencies.

“Law enforcement leaders should interpret this as a cue to reflect more on how to enhance community trust in accountability measures,” she stated.

CLOSUP, affiliated with U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy, collected survey responses from April to June 2024 from officials in county, city, township, and village settings across 1,307 jurisdictions statewide—a 70% response rate. It also received input from 54 county sheriffs, 234 police chiefs or public safety directors, and 55 elected county prosecutors.

The 2024 iteration of the survey project was funded by a grant from the Joyce Foundation.