In 2004, Chief Daniel Black of the Lake Angelus PD was under investigation for 16 allegations against him. The allegations against Black were never disclosed to the public.
Also See:
CHIEF DANILE BLACK CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF 1ST DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; TWO COUNTS OF 2ND DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; AND FOUR COUNTS OF 3RD DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT. [2007]
CHIEF DANILE BLACK CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF 1ST DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; TWO COUNTS OF 2ND DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT; AND FOUR COUNTS OF 3RD DEGREE CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT. [2007]
Police chief retires
The Oakland Press
Published: Wednesday, October 27, 2004
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/10/27/localnews/20041027-archive3.txt
Chief Daniel Black has retired from the Lake Angelus Police Department, just months after a spate of allegations surfaced against him.
The city investigated the allegations - which were never released publicly - and found no substance to any of them. Black had been criticized by residents and even some city officials for improper conduct.
The city revitalized its Law Enforcement Committee to look into allegations, which were made shortly after the termination of several reserve police officers in February.
Black submitted his request for retirement Oct. 11. It will take effect Nov. 5, said city Clerk Rosalie Lake.
"We're in the process of looking for a new chief," she said. "We're accepting resumes."
Black's wife, Sherry, remains employed with the Lake Angelus Police Department, Lake said, where she is a sergeant. Neither Dan nor Sherry Black could be reached for comment.
Earlier this year, city officials gave Black immunity in exchange for his response to the 16 allegations against him. A report was compiled by city attorneys, but it was never released to the public.
The Lake Angelus Police Department was also under investigation by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.
Officials there have said the investigation is administrative, rather than criminal. The commission provides certification for police officers.
Commission officials could not be reached for comment.
Police chief won't lose his job, council says
The Oakland Press
Published: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/08/17/localnews/20040817-archive5.txt
Indicating there was little substance to a spate of allegations against him, the Lake Angelus City Council said Police Chief Daniel Black will keep his job.
Several residents and police officers spoke out in support of Black at Monday night's meeting - some of whom had been critical of him in the past.
Resident Cheryl Case, long a critic of Black's, publicly apologized to the chief and the City Council for speaking out about the allegations. She also praised the police department.
"I feel a lot safer knowing they are here," she said.
The chief's wife, Sherry Black, also supported her husband. She is a sergeant with the Lake Angelus Police Department.
"I'm Sherry Black, and obviously I'm behind the chief," she said.
Last month, city officials gave Black immunity in exchange for his response to the 16 allegations against him. City attorney Dan Christ investigated the allegations and officials said there was no substance to them.
The allegations lodged against Black have never been publicly disclosed.
"If the allegations were that serious, why were they not brought to our attention earlier?" asked Councilman Gary Parlove. "The most significant thing is this: All the information that came to us came from people who were no longer employed by the police department. It was all secondary evidence."
And even though Black will keep his job, the Lake Angelus Police Department is under investigation by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards. Officials there say the investigation is administrative, rather than criminal. MCOLES provides certification for police officers Councilwoman Lee McNew, who said at the July 15 meeting that she had lost confidence in Black, said the report compiled by Christ -which has not been publicly released - showed no reason to fire the chief.
"We feel the status quo is the best routine at this point," McNew said. "There are many changes that need to be made (in the department), and the law enforcement committee can take care of that."
McNew did not elaborate on what changes should be made.
The city's Law Enforcement Committee, which was revitalized this year to look into allegations made shortly after the termination of several reserve police officers in February, is made up of Parlove, resident Jim Cortez and Mayor George Frisch.
Cortez said at Monday's meeting that there was an "organized smear campaign" trying to get Black fired.
"A lot of you have been misled," he said.
Little city, strange problems
Published: Saturday, July 24, 2004
The Oakland Press
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/07/24/opinions/20040724-archive.txt
Although it's one of the smallest communities in Oakland County, Lake Angelus has a lot of eyes on it these days.
At the center of the rather confusing and bizarre story is Police Chief Daniel Black, who's under investigation by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement.
But that's about all anyone knows, including a number of irate residents who are upset with city officials for refusing to disclose what's going on.
So far, the City Council has done little that makes any sense other than showing its arrogance.
The council voted to give Black immunity in return for responding to the 16 allegations against him. Talk about your sweetheart deals. There was no other way to get some honest answers?
Only after that information is obtained will council members decide whether to release it to the people they work for - Lake Angelus residents.
All of these problems in a community of 326 people, according to the 2000 census - that's down from 328 in 1990. Perhaps they should look into contracting for their police protection with the Sheriff's Department.
City gives police chief immunity
Published: Friday, July 16, 2004
The Oakland Press
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/07/16/localnews/20040716-archive1.txt
LAKE ANGELUS - City officials have given Police Chief Daniel Black immunity in exchange for his response to a laundry list of allegations against him.
But, so far, officials have refused to disclose what the 16 allegations are against Black. State officials, however, revealed that there is an investigation into the department.
At a special meeting Thursday night, the City Council voted to grant Black the measure of protection. Under United States v. Garrity, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police officers cannot incriminate themselves when ordered to answer questions.
Under Garrity, city attorney Dan Christ said, Black can't face prosecution for his answers. However, police officers can be fired for failing to answer questions.
Christ said he plans to meet with Black in the coming days and will draft a report for the City Council, which will then decide whether to make the document public.
The Lake Angelus Police Department, which is among the smallest departments in Oakland County, is under investigation by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, said MCOLES Deputy Director Gary Ruffini.
"We're looking into some issues," he said.
Ruffini declined further comment but said the investigation is administrative in nature rather than criminal.
MCOLES provides certification for police officers.
A local law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the department may have allowed officers to maintain their certifications by claiming they worked in Lake Angelus as police William Kucyk, Black's attorney, declined to comment on the allegations.
Residents at Thursday's meeting said the community had lost faith in Black. Some called for his dismissal and others expressed frustration at the way the City Council has handled the issue.
"His credibility is impugned to the point that there's no respect in the community," said resident Ed Adler. "You really should consider replacing him."
As an at-will employee, Black can be fired at any time - and for any reason - by the City Council.
"(Black) really ought to be given a chance to respond," said Councilwoman Lee McNew. "But we've lost confidence."
So far, the issue has been under the purview of the Law Enforcement Committee, which was revitalized this year to look into allegations made shortly after the terminations of several reserve police officers in February.
"It was to knock out all the rumors, so to speak, floating about the community," said Councilman Gary Parlove.
Officials said Thursday that they didn't know if an outside agency, such as the Michigan State Police, would ever investigate the matter.
"It's all out in the open now, and it will be addressed," Parlove said.
Meanwhile, state officials are investigating matters of police certification.David King, spokesman for MCOLES, said officers must work as police officers with full police power to maintain their certification.
In an investigation, MCOLES officials look out for obvious fraud - such as paying someone $1 a year simply to keep them on the books, a practice more common when these standards were initiated more than two decades ago, King said.
However, many smaller departments, particularly in northern Michigan, rely on part-time officers, some of whom work for more than one department.
"We look for evidence that there is a regular presence of this person as an employee," King said.
MCOLES requested payroll records from the city's police department dating back to 1999, Parlove said at Monday night's meeting.
Parlove said at Thursday's meeting that the request was caused, in part, by Sherry Black's certification. Sherry Black is the chief's wife and a sergeant with the Lake Angelus Police Department.
MCOLES has no criminal authority, but if fraud is found, the case could then be turned over to the state Attorney General's Office.
Staff writer Stephen Frye contributed to this report.
Chief to meet with city attorney
Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The Oakland Press
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/07/13/localnews/20040713-archive1.txt
With some residents calling for his dismissal, Lake Angelus Police Chief Daniel Black will get a chance to refute allegations of misconduct.
Black will meet with a city attorney today to be informed of the 16 allegations - which have not been disclosed - made against him, said City Attorney Lawrence Ternan. He said lawyers are looking into criminal and noncriminal violations because of the allegations.
"At this point we'd really like Dan Black to review what the issues are and respond to them," Ternan said.
Black, who was not at Monday night's City Council meeting, could not be reached for comment.
Many residents who attended the meeting expressed frustration that Black was still chief. They also seemed angry that officials were investigating the allegations internally and had not contacted an outside agency to look into the matter.
Council members said they were looking into the allegations and that investigations of this manner take time. Still, some officials said residents were getting antsy for a resolution to the issue.
"I feel very strongly that we need to act quickly," Councilwoman Lee McNew said. "The longer this drags on is bad for us and it is bad for (Black). It looks like we're not doing anything."
Allegations have swirled around Black for several months. City officials have refused to disclose the allegations against Black. The Michigan Coalition on Law Enforcement Standards requested payroll records from the city's police department dating back to 1999, said Councilman Gary Parlove at Monday night's meeting.
Parlove, a member of the Law Enforcement Committee - formed to look into allegations made against Black - said the city's investigation of the allegations is moving along.
"There's a process that needs to be followed," he said.
Police chief faces allegations
Published: Thursday, June 24, 2004
The Oakland Press
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2004/06/24/policecourt/20040624-archive0.txt
LAKE ANGELUS - Lake Angelus officials are looking into allegations against the city's police chief, but refused to disclose the nature of the alleged offenses.
The Law Enforcement Committee, formed to look into allegations made against Chief Daniel Black, met Monday night. Mayor George Frisch said the City Council will meet in the coming weeks to determine how to proceed in probing the allegations, which he refused to discuss.
The next regular meeting of the City Council is July 12.
"All I can say is we are looking into the matter," he said.
Pierre Beaudet, a councilman, also declined to say what the chief was being accused of, saying only that officials would turn any information over to an outside body if it deemed necessary.
"There's a lot of stuff going on," Beaudet said.
The allegations could stem from the recent firing of a police lieutenant. Beaudet said the lieutenant was fired because of budget woes and he would not say whether the lieutenant was the one making allegations against Black.
"Most of the accusations are unsubstantiated at this point," Beaudet said. "But we have to find out what's what. I think we all recognize something has to be done with the police department."
Beaudet said the firing of the lieutenant was not handled well. He also said in a small town like Lake Angelus - which has about 300 residents - it is important to nip rumors in the bud to avoid damaging reputations.
Jim Cortez, a member of the Law Enforcement Committee, declined to comment on Monday's meeting, which was open to the public. He said the City Council will be informed of the situation and another public meeting will be held soon.
Black did not return calls seeking comment.
