U-M hires former Michigan State Police director as head of Division of Public Safety and Security
The University of Michigan Thursday announced Eddie Washington, Jr., a former director of the Michigan State Police, will lead the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security, pending Board of Regents approval.
Eddie Washington, Jr.
Courtesy of U-M
Washington will start in his role as executive director of the U-M DPSS on July 23, pending approval from the University of Michigan Board of Regents at its July 18 meeting, according to a university news release.
He will take over from U-M Police Chief Joe Piersante, who has been leading the division on an interim basis since its creation in October.
Washington worked for the Michigan State Police for 27 years, achieving the rank of colonel and directing the agency in 2010. He left the state police and worked as a homeland security adviser to the university in 2011 and has worked as a security consultant for Dow Chemical.
In a statement released Thursday, Washington said, “I am thrilled and honored to be selected for this important position. The university has a tremendous team of safety and security professionals and I’m eager to start working with them.”
During his time as director of MSP, Washington was accused of "double dipping," when he collected a pension and a six-figure salary at the same time, according to a report in The Detroit News. One state representative said it caused a "morale problem" at the time.
The selection of Washington ends a six-month search that began earlier this year for a new executive director. The division was created in October 2012 in response to an external investigation into the six-month delay between the discovery of child pornography in the University of Michigan Hospital and the start of a police investigation into Stephen Jenson.
Jenson eventually pleaded guilty to a federal charge of possession of child pornography and will serve at least three years in prison.
Piersante will transition back to being the full-time head of the University of Michigan Police Department. The police, Hospital Security, Housing Security and University Security Services make up the four departments underneath the Division of Public Safety and Security umbrella.
The heads of those four agencies will report to Washington, who will report directly to the university president.
The university conducted a national search beginning in January. The search advisory committee was headed by Liz Barry, managing director of the Life Sciences Institute, and included Ann Arbor police Chief John Seto.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Hunterjim
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 1 a.m.
A good choice!
Honest Abe
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 12:13 a.m.
Is this the same Washington from the Love Boat??!!
SunnySideOfThursday
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 12:11 a.m.
It is amazing how quickly people love to jump on the negativity bandwagon and damage someone's reputation without a shred of accurate or factual information. Do you know why there were no follow up articles about the, "double-dipping" allegations? Because it wasn't true. I guess that isn't interesting though, so not worthy of follow up. Washington is a good man and a good leader. He's honest and has integrity. He is a solid choice and U of M is lucky to have him. Congratulations, Mr. Washington. Best wishes to you!
Basic Bob
Sat, Jun 22, 2013 : 2:06 a.m.
So are you saying he is not collecting over $85k retirement pay from the state while also working a full time state job paying over $100k? That may be honest, but it is still double-dipping.
trespass
Thu, Jun 20, 2013 : 11:04 p.m.
The search committee did not have representation of the governing faculty or students. There is also a new advisory committee for the new division that the consultants report said should be composed of representative of the constituents served by the police and security. Instead it is composed entirely of senior university administrators, no faculty and no staff or students. That tells you who the University adminstrators think the police are here to serve.
trespass
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 1:33 p.m.
@DennisP- http://www.vpcomm.umich.edu/pa/key/resident.html The recommendation for the advisory committee is in the full Margolis Healy report page 54. The members of the advisory committee are in the jub description for the new director. (look at the bottom of the page for the full job description) http://president.umich.edu/committees/edpss.php The members of the search committee are on that page as well.
DennisP
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 4:16 a.m.
Interesting. Do you have some links or other references regarding that? I'd like to read more. Sounds very self-serving to me. I'm not judging Mr. Washington, but your allegations deserve more light.
Basic Bob
Thu, Jun 20, 2013 : 11 p.m.
Another double-dipper. Go figure.
Greg
Thu, Jun 20, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
It reminds me of Barnett Jones. Why do we keep hiring police in Michigan whose idea of public service is collecting as many salaries and pensions as possible? It seems like a low standard of justice and a high standard of good old guy connections.
Hugh Giariola
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 11:35 a.m.
Because we just don't learn from our mistakes.
Silly Sally
Thu, Jun 20, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
This is a small reason why tuition is so, so high. Another layer of bureaucracy, costing each student about $3 a year. Once in place, never to go away. All because some unneeded lawyer failed to do his or her job at the hospital withe the kiddy porn MD. I hope that he does a good job, but if UM were a car, this is like adding another brick to the trunk and asking it to go faster. It won't. Tuition is much too high. Why do double dippers get their retirement pay prior to age 65 or 70? No wonder the public sector is going broke.
Hugh Giariola
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 11:34 a.m.
Walking Joe, so now it's the students fault? Have you ever heard of "death from a thousand small cuts?"
WalkingJoe
Fri, Jun 21, 2013 : 2:23 a.m.
"This is a small reason why tuition is so, so high. Another layer of bureaucracy, costing each student about $3 a year." Really? $3 a year. What's that compared to the money some students spend to party? And when those parties get out of hand just who has to respond? I know not the director personally but it's his responsibility to see it is done professionally.