A Michigan police officer is facing charges after repeated allegations of misconduct including excessive use of force and false imprisonment. The officer, Chad Vorce, was accused by 19-year-old delivery driver Alexander Hamilton of harassment and violence in a January 2021 series of encounters.
The state’s Attorney General’s Office filed charges against Vorce one day after Hamilton filed his own civil rights suit against the officer in the U.S. District Court of Grand Rapids.
“Our assessment of this incident showed dangerous behavior exhibited by Mr. Vorce,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news release. “Those who swear to protect and serve must do so responsibly.”
“We look forward to litigating this matter,” said Vorce’s attorney Patrick O’Keefe. O’Keefe said Vorce is claiming innocence in all charges.
Vorce was arraigned in a local district court on one count of misconduct in office, felony assault and felony firearm possession, reports the Lansing State Journal. The civil rights suit alleges that the officer’s behavior amounted to excessive force, false arrest, false imprisonment, illegal seizure, intentional infliction of emotional distress and race discrimination.
Vorce was given a $5,000 cash bond for release. The hearing to determine whether or not he should stand trial is scheduled for later this April.
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On the morning of Jan. 14, 2021, Vorce called 911 to report a suspicious black man in his neighborhood parked close to his home while he was off duty. He approached Hamilton and spoke with him before he drove off.
Vorce then followed Hamilton to a gas station and approached him again with his gun drawn. He was fired from his department, pending review, for “operating outside of his jurisdiction, using excessive force, failing to de-escalate the situation, having an inappropriate tone and demeanor, and violating the department’s social media policy,” the report said.
However, after his review, Vorce was reinstated as a city employee. While his arbitrators agreed that his behavior was counter to his department’s guidelines, they found it was not bad to a degree that it had “otherwise undermined or significantly impaired the otherwise good reputation of the department.”
While he was reinstated, Vorce did not return to active duty following the 2021 incidents.
Kudos to this teenager for pushing the issue!
It is BEYOND time that we reign in the totalitarianistic authoratarian overlords we’re seeing these days. I recognize that yes, we need police. Police need to be reminded of what “protect and serve” means. The legal name of the profession is “law enforcement”, not “master”.
Remind police that A) they are bound by the same constraints of the very laws they are charged with enforcing, B) they are not judges, juries, executioners, nor soldiers, and C) if you break the law, you WILL be prosecuted to the very fullest extent. Get the bad cops out, keep the good ones and find more to replace the ones who have no business with a gun and badge.