HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Police Commissioners Minutes 02.17.26
Board of Police Commissioners Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
Lansing Police Department HQ 2nd FL Conference Room
120 W Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI 48933
The Board of Police Commissioners met in regular session and the meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by
Chair Jones.
Present at Rollcall: Commission Members: Bitely, Brewster, Farhan, Farhat, Jones, Milton, Watkins
Also present: Chief Backus, Elizabeth O’Leary, Lisa Hagen-Lawrence, Julie Browne, Cheryl Rupprecht, and Jacqueline
Lutz
Public Attendees: 3
Rollcall was taken and quorum was present.
Commissioner Cotton arrived at 5:39 PM after roll call was taken and voting took place.
Pledge of Allegiance: Lead by Commissioner Jones
Correspondence Sent and Received: Commissioner Jones received roughly 10 emails from Ali Peeler.
Public Comment on Agenda Items: None
Additions To the Agenda: Budget FY27
Approval Of Agenda: Chair Jones moved to approve the agenda. Commissioner Milton made the motion to approve with
Commissioner Farhat seconding the motion.
By Vote: Yeas: 7
Nays: 0
Consent Agenda: Chair Jones moved for approval of agenda items:
a) Approval of Meeting Minutes: January 20, 2026.
b) Approval of January Departmental Reports.
Chair Jones moved to approve the minutes and department reports. Commissioners Brewster made the motion.
Commissioner Farhat seconding the motion.
By Vote: Yeas: 7
Nays: 0
EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATION: Cheryl Rupprecht, Budget Control Supervisor
• 2027 proposed budget
o 207 funds should not be in the budget, will come off
o Personnel numbers are provided by finance and include those who will onboard in the future
o Equipment budget was decreased
Commissioner Brewster made a motion to approve the budget. Motion needed to add FY27 budget to agenda prior to a
motion for approval. Commissioner Brewster made a motion to take the approval motion off the floor.
Commissioner Farhat seconded the motion. No vote.
Commissioner Bitely moved to add FY27 to the agenda. Commissioner Farhat seconded the motion.
By Vote: Yeas: 7
Nays: 0
Commissioner Brewster made a motion to approve FY27 budget. Commissioner Bitely seconded the motion.
By Vote: Yeas: 5
Nays: 1
Abstained: 1
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT – Chief Backus
• From the Chief’s Office: Two Lieutenants (Lt. Traviliga and Lt. Colby) at MSU school of staff and
command. Promotional testing for every rank currently happening. 6 new cadets began on February
9th. CATA incident recap, internal complaint is with the CI office, trespass and handling arrests with
LGBTQ community, NAACP conversations, officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
LEGAL UPDATE – Deputy City Attorney Lisa Hagen-Lawrence
• No specific update.
HUMAN RESOURCES – Director Elizabeth O’Leary
• 2 applicants pending physical/psychological
• 2 withdrew
• 44 applicants for the recruit posting
• 6 cadets began on February 9th
COMMISSION INVESTIGATOR REPORT:
• Julie Browne, new Commission Investigator
o January: 14 open, 9 closed, 0 to the chief
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None as of today.
OTHER BUSINESS: FY27 Budget
BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS:
• Budget – Nothing to add
• Government/Community Liaison Committee – no report
• Awards and Incentives Committee – Still going through volumes of awards, award ceremonies information
was provided digitally this year on a flash drive, another meeting will be held next Wednesday
• Ad Hoc Committee – no report
• Citizen Complaint Oversight Committee – met this afternoon to cover quite a few cases. No names are
shared within the information that this committee is given by the CI.
• Recruitment and Hiring – Cadets are similar to an intern position
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS – (Informational)
• Farhat – Happy Mardi Gras
• Watkins – Apologies for dashing out of the room to answer his out-of-state son’s call. Concern over the
budget is from his lack of time to review the budget. Wants numbers to make sense. Talks up the
department because he is pleased with what he sees as a commissioner.
• Cotton – As commissioner, wants to understand what this board is about and what we’re doing. Exactly what
are the items for the equipment. Is there a paper report of the budget? Doesn’t just want a glorified title,
what are we (commissioners) supposed to do, what are we about. I thought that my position was to
represent the community. The chief mentioned warming centers- young lady that was turned away from a
warming center and froze to death. Chief responded: will follow up. Deputy City Attorney on responsibility
of HRCS: dependent on whether it was a city funded warming center or not, would expect that if
something did happen a call would have been made to the mayor’s office.
• Omar – This is an essential group; we bridge the gap between the public and the police department. The
only way for the public to have faith in us is to be more transparent.
• Milton – Nothing
• Brewster – Nothing
• Jones – No comment
• Bitely – No update.
PUBLIC COMMENT: 1
ADJOURNMENT: Chair Jones requested to adjourn the meeting at 6:46 pm. Commissioner Bitely made a motion with
Commissioner Farhat seconding the motion.
By Vote: Yeas: 7
Nays: 0