Deputy police chief position eliminated as U-M Department of Public Safety reorganizes
Charles Noffsinger
AnnArbor.com file photo
The University of Michigan Department of Public Safety is eliminating three positions as it goes through a “budget-related” reorganization, spokeswoman Diane Brown said.
“We’re doing a lot of reorganizing,” she added. “Some titles are changing. There (will be a realigning) of several duties. There are also some positions that are going into administrative positions.”
The fates of the individuals who filled the positions will vary. A payroll clerk position is being eliminated, but the person who occupied it - whom Brown did not want to name -will be taking a different position within the department.
A senior accounting clerk, who Brown also did not want to name, will be retiring.
The most high-profile position being eliminated is the deputy chief of staff operations, which was filled by Charles Noffsinger as of last week, according to the organizational chart on the department’s website.
As of Monday, Noffsinger’s name and position had been taken off the organizational chart. Brown declined to say whether Noffsinger is currently employed by the university, though.
“He is still working through his options,” Brown said last week.
Brown described the deputy chief of staff operations position as overseeing budgets, hiring staff, training and payroll. Those duties will be taken care of by other divisions within the department after the realignment, Brown said.
Noffsinger also was involved with special events, such as policing U-M home football games. A past news release called Noffsinger the “game day law enforcement incident commander” for the games.
In 2007, Noffsinger was on a short list of candidates up for the police chief job at Eastern Michigan University. A profile of Noffsinger that appeared in the Ann Arbor News at the time said he was an Ann Arbor native who started working for U-M public safety in 1988 as a civilian and had “climbed the ladder” to become a captain.
AnnArbor.com was unsuccessful in its attempts to reach Noffsinger for comment Monday.
Gregory O’Dell beat out Noffsinger and other candidates for the EMU job in 2007. O'Dell served there until briefly becoming chief at U-M before returning to EMU a short time before committing suicide last December.
The U-M police department has been without a permanent chief since O’Dell left in November 2011. Joe Piersante has been serving as interim chief since that time.
There have been no new developments in a search for a permanent chief, Brown said. Piersante is making the decisions behind the current reorganization, which is taking place “to make things more efficient, more streamlined,” Brown said.
“It’s an ongoing process,” she added.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
ratbones
Sat, Jul 21, 2012 : 6:16 a.m.
I worked directly for Henry Baier for a few years, and I can tell you this: If he likes you, he is a great boss, very fair and always supportive. If he dislikes you, he is nothing less than sneaky, underhanded and ruthless. Officer Noffsingers situation is unfortunate, and I can say that I worked with him indirectly (through the department of my employ) for several years and found him to be a consumate professional, dedicated and honest. Yes, over the years he worked his way up the ranks as did I. But Hank Baier, on the other hand, started out as a middle level manager, promoted to Department director, then promoted to his current VP position - all within the span of 10 years or so. Impressive, right.? Who goes from middle manager to VP in 10 years? I'll tell ya who: A person who's married to a Taubman, that's who. He stomped on LOTS of people to get where he is, and Officer Noffsinger is just the latest casualty. He probably disagreed with something Hank said, or didn't say, or did, or didn't do...or whatever. Hank does not deserve his position, but he is allowed to keep it because of the money associated with his in-laws name. Shame on the Regents. Officer Noffsinger deserves to keep his job; his faithfulness and dedication should be worth something.
MickeyMsisaliar
Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 8:41 p.m.
I guess 23 years takes its toll mentally and physically on the body.
Sonny B
Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 1:19 a.m.
With little doubt; this police organization is in need of a reorganization. The dedicated officers of this University law enforcement agency need strong, committed, and self-less leadership. Former Chief Magee absolutely needed to go; Charles Noffsinger absolutely needed to follow that same path, and the remaining police administration should take immediate notice, correct unprofessional behaviors, and be real leaders without un-necssary arrogance. This organization needs to lead from the top down while embracing empowerment, inclusion, and demonstrated successful leadership skills. Former and current police administrators at our state's largest University law enforcement organization have managed to dismantle, embarrass, and create significant internal dysfunction. It is time to hire a successful leader as the new Chief, and bring in an entire new senior administrative leadership staff. Through strong efforts, fairness, committment, accountability, and cooperative efforts "throughout the agency", then and only then will the U of M Department of Public Safety begin to turn around into the respected department it should be. Let us not continue to sugar coat, attempt to avoid negative media attention and publicity, and please do the right thing. I would suggest a reminder to the University that managers "do things right", and leaders "do the right thing". Please do not follow in the footsteps of Penn State, Eastern Michigan University and others. Do the right thing - make the hard choices and bring in a new Administration. Remember the Oaths that you have held your hand too...
anotheruofm
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 2:24 p.m.
I agree with 1239kipke, this is the same thing they did with the former chief, Magee. Magee leaving on a "medical" and now Noffsinger leaving on a restructuring? Come on, you are not fooling anyone
Joe Kidd
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 5:38 p.m.
Not referring to this incident, consider a hypothetical situation: An employer has an employee who has conducted themselves in a manner considered unethical or troublesome. Said employer has already taken some hits and it walking on ice. To alleviate the new issue, and perhaps to avoid any litigious filings, some negotiations commence in order to create a transition as smooth as possible without causing much embarrassment to each party and those negotiations might include how any change is handled publicly. Would that not lead to at least an effort to release information that does not conceal every detail of what occurred? The risk they take is that is many people are aware of facts, it is hard to keep them quiet and you can be seen as lying or unethical by not being what is commonly referred to as "transparent."
kipke1239
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 12:41 p.m.
Charlie Noffsinger has served with professionalism and dedication through his career. This tactic to eliminate him is obviously personal, not a legitimate RIF. The department employees and general public are not ignorant. VP Baier should stop treating us with such disregard. He has been a failure in his oversight of the department for years. Ask yourself why the Department has such a poor track record in the last 5 years attracting a quality Chief to one of the highest paid positions in the industry. Reorganization is needed - move DPS out from a VP that can not manage them properly. Noffsinger is well-respected and accomplished in the campus law enforcement community. Shame on UM and VP Baier for their treatment of Noffsinger. This department and our employees deserve better than this charade. Our efforts need to be directed towards campus safety without these direct attacks from our own administrators with political agendas.
MickeyMsisaliar
Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 6:35 p.m.
Well said joe kid. So true.
Joe Kidd
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 5:23 p.m.
Mickie is correct. A great sigh of relief has been heard from the LE community.
anotheruofm
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 10:15 a.m.
The reason why they didn't release the other names is because this is a big cover up. They don't want the Ann arbor news talking with those "moved" employees. When is Noffsinger's retirement party? You would think after 23 years there would be a celebration?
Joe Kidd
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 5:48 a.m.
And here I thought they were hiring.
jester32b
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 11:45 p.m.
What happened to integrity? Just asking
MickeyMsisaliar
Thu, Jul 19, 2012 : 6:37 p.m.
Noffsinger has no integrity and thats why he has no job. Too bad he took other people down with him. Karma got him.
YpsiVeteran
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 3:01 p.m.
Mickie, don't paint everyone who serves with one brush. It's not even remotely accurate. Also, people can be very good at their jobs and still have personal shortcomings. In this case, unfortunately, the department is exposed to significant financial liability because of the poor personal choices of two people. That doesn't mean others in the same line of work don't have integrity, and it also doesn't mean the two involved didn't display integrity on the job.
MickieLuvMini
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 12:26 a.m.
Integrity is non-negotiable, except for those with stripes, bars and stars it seems.
YpsiVeteran
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 9:16 p.m.
Lie and obfuscate in the pediatric resident child porn case. Lie and obfuscate about this deal with the departure of a PD Deputy Chief. At least the U is consistent.
runningfree
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
ok so a quick summary...going on trips with the same subordinate is frowned upon in the DPS establishment!!!
anotheruofm
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 7:31 p.m.
If and I mean IF this was a RIF, why did they keep a female acting deputy chief? If Noffsinger did nothing wrong why not keep him? Plus, why did HR pack up Noffsinger's office last Friday instead of letting him come in and do it? I can tell you Noffsinger never said goodbye. And if he retired after 23years, when is his retirement party? I have to agreement something is going on here. Did the reporter ask about the possibility of any investigations done by Hank Baker's office on all the trips Noffsinger and his female subordinate?
Billy Bob Schwartz
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
How about if everyone starts with recognizing that positions in other parts of the University have NO CONNECTION to spending by the athletic department on capital items (such as marquees)? It's pretty lame to be discussing this subject and have people peel off into a rebake of totally unrelated funds and expenditures. Can we pleeeeeeeaaaase not do this anymore?
TMC216
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 6:16 p.m.
I'm always amused at RIFs (Reduction In Force) or "Lay-offs", especially in service or management positions. The very fact of a RIF begs, BEGS the question of way that person was even hired to begin with? No doubts here the employer was a fool for the waste of payroll and the employee was cheated & wasted a portion of their work lives for nothing.
Phyllis Rector
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 6:05 p.m.
I'm sorry, they put up a 2.8 million dollar marquis at the stadium but eliminate security positions. I don't see the logic there. Why do we need a big marquis anyway??????
grye
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
See what happens when you spend $2.8 million on a message board.
Trouble
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:55 p.m.
I heard some things. Sooner or later " things " will come out. Sooner or later.
Joe Kidd
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 5:44 a.m.
Me too
Joe Kidd
Wed, Jul 18, 2012 : 5:39 a.m.
Me too.
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:07 p.m.
Not the soft landing given Bess (who really didn't retire as announced and kept receiving his full salary) and Magee (who wasn't eligible for extended sick leave), not to mention Scarnecchia's padded departure from Office of General Counsel. Not a very nice way to treat a loyal employee since 1988.
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 7:26 p.m.
Very sorry to hear.
Loveot
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 4:49 p.m.
pu2um............everyone is "replaceable" and some "loyal" employees are not loyal!
YpsiVeteran
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.
Departure? What departure? According to the PD spokesperson, not only is he not fired, he's "still working through his options." According to her, he still works there. Pathetic. Here's a summary of the U's new public relations policy: Dig a hole where no hole is required; dive in head-first; when you land on your head, dig some more; then, blame everyone but yourself for being there, and complain and moan ad nausem about how unfair it is you're in there.
rs
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 2:53 p.m.
This is going on university-wide. Lots of areas within the U are reorganizing and/or moving to a shared resource system. I'm guessing they are trying to cut some fat out of the overall operation costs. It isn't unique to DPS. They are trying to eliminate redundant services that each department maintains. For example all the little IT groups for each department are being merged into larger groups that support multiple departments.
TMC216
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 6:25 p.m.
Employees of ANY educational institution receiving state funds such as U of M, EMU, MSU et al are NOT employed by the State Of Michigan. But we all know who they are and how much they're paid as required by The MSC rulings.
Cash
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 4:20 p.m.
From the new org chart: Technical and Support Services IT Planning Manager Jeffrey McDole
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:23 p.m.
Noffsinger was the ITS liaison. http://www.mais.umich.edu/groups/liaisonlist.html
Cash
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
Except the IT position remains in DPS. And remember, the entire salary and benefit package for the chief or the assistant who is acting chief has been saved all along!
YpsiVeteran
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 1:26 p.m.
"A payroll clerk position is being eliminated, but the person who occupied it - whom Brown did not want to name -will be taking a different position within the department. A senior accounting clerk, who Brown also did not want to name, will be retiring." If there was ever a better, more crystal-clear example of the U administrative culture of arrogance and contempt for the public, I"m not sure what it would be. The PD spokesperson automatically, obviously as the default response, declining to provide the names of two public employees...not undercover officers or detectives or anyone like that, but administrative clerks...in public jobs, that are already a matter of public record. There's ZERO reason to deliberately withhold the names of the two clerks, in an article about restructuring, but the contempt is so ingrained, it's just an automatic response. And the funny thing is, by withholding information that is of no value other than informational, they just prompt people to further question and doubt their motives. I wish the reporter had questioned the "spokesperson" on why she felt it was necessary to withhold the names of the clerks, like it's some secret. Pathetic. They also "declined" to say whether another public employee is even on the payroll? Really? You'd think somehow, somewhere, somebody would learn something from past mistakes, but apparently not.
YpsiVeteran
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
Thanks Murf, but I don't care about the names, and neither does anyone else. Do you get the point of the post now? People and organizations that refuse to learn from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others deserve all the criticism they receive.
Murf
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 8:36 p.m.
Maybe they didn't want their names mentioned. However, if you are really curious, I'm sure you could find the information and with the use of thing called 'filter' (if you can find the Excel format version), you could possibly find their names and sleep peacefully tonight.
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.
Ignatz, I would suggest you do a little legal research. In fact, all UM employees are technically employed by the State.
YpsiVeteran
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:44 p.m.
Split hairs all you want, Ignatz. The fact remains they work in non-sensitive positions at a state university, and there's not a single justifiable reason for the PD spokesperson to act like their names are sensitive information. The culture and behavior is not only toxic, it's needlessly toxic and insulting, at a time when there are bigger fish to fry.
Ignatz
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 3:13 p.m.
YpsiVeteran, They are not public employees. They are employed by the University of Michigan, which is not owned by the state.
trespass
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 1:26 p.m.
Something smells fishy! Why would you go through a re-organization under an interim Police Chief? Usually, you would want to hire a new chief and give him an opportunity to put their own stamp on the department. The two other people are not losing their jobs so this sounds less like a re-organization and more like a way to cover up firing Noffsinger. Why? Is he not towing the party line on the child porn investigation? Does he know something about why O'dell suddenly quit? Does it have something to do with the report one of his officers wrote saying that the supposed telephone call to DPS about the child porn case was a lie? Who knows, but it all sounds a little fishy.
MickieLuvMini
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 10:44 p.m.
I agree that it seems very strange to re-org prior to filling the permanent chief position. So, who is really running the show? I see mention of Kim K, Ann Z and Stacy J, are they up for it? Sounds like they would do a good job.
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 7:38 p.m.
Years of compounded problems in the DPS are a poor reflection on the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: Timothy Slottow. There had to be a good reason Chief O'Dell resigned without notice.
runningfree
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 6:52 p.m.
Ya think...why would you get rid of the only permanent upper administrative position to now have a interim Chief and interim Deputy Chief running the whole department? Makes no sense at all!! This is kinda reminding me of the whole Magee fiasco
Cash
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 11:40 a.m.
Something doesn't make a lot of sense in this whole story.... 1. Is the entire UM general fund budget being cut, so that all departments are taking a whack? 2. If it's only DPS taking a cut, why? 3. Is this really due to budget cuts, or is this the way to eliminate a certain employee? Are the other 2 positions are really red herrings, as one was retiring and the other just being moved? Anyhow, after all of this time, where is the new chief?
snoper
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 11:23 a.m.
The most prolific position? Was he fathering children? Did he write books? Do you people even own a dictionary?
SEC Fan
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 9:52 p.m.
5:51 pm and they still haven't correct this...
pu2um
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 4:03 p.m.
Point made. Maybe he meant high profile, as in special events coordinator, such as for President Obama's visits. Not the easiest of positions to replace/eliminate.
actionjackson
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 11:14 a.m.
UofM money issues?
MickieLuvMini
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 10:33 p.m.
I smell a coverup! U of M doesn't have money issues
SEC Fan
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 9:50 p.m.
maybe they can list the new organizational structure on that $2.8Million sign?
Loveot
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 4:46 p.m.
U of M only has money issues when they are misused!
15crown00
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 11:14 a.m.
so how many people will actually be left jobless?