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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
2
November 7, 2013
R
OMULUS
- I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
Police chief’s replacement proves to be temporary
Library offers computer classes
Tree honors firefighter’s memory
A disagreement regarding the
tentative police union contracts
apparently led to the temporary
separation of Inkster Police Chief
Hilton Napoleon from his job last
Tuesday.
Following a meeting with City
Manager Richard J. Marsh, Jr.,
Treasurer Mark Stuhldreher and
two union representatives, the
chief drove back to the police sta-
tion and began clearing things
from his office, according to sever-
al witnesses. After Napoleon left
the building, a memo from Marsh
went to police personnel, naming
Lt. Jeff Smith as the temporary
head of the police department.
ByWednesdaymorning, howev-
er, the chief was back on the job
and another memo was issued
saying that the chief “was back in
control of the department.”
The disagreement began when
Det. Anthony Delgreco, a union
steward, questioned several
assignments and promotions
Napoleon had listed on a new
employee roster for the depart-
ment. Delgreco said he told the
chief at the time that one of the
promotions the chief was insisting
on was entirely contrary to the
tentative contract agreement the
unions had authorized after
lengthy negotiations with the city
manager. Delgreco said the chief
was attempting to promote a
female patrol officer who had
been laid off in the tentative pact.
Delgreco said the chief also indi-
cated that he had arbitrarily
reduced a patrolman to part-time
without regard to seniority.
Napoleon also told Delgreco he
was going with two lieutenants
and six sergeants in the depart-
ment rather than the four and four
in theunion agreement.
Delgreco said he told the chief
repeatedly that this was contrary
to the union negotiations and that
Napoleon told him, “So what?
This iswhat I'mgoing to do.”
Delgreco then called the city
manager's office to find Marsh
temporarily unavailable. Delgreco
told Marsh's secretary that the
Teamsters and the Command
Officers Association were pulling
the deal they had negotiated.
Marsh returned Delgreco's call
and set a meeting for 2 p.m. in his
officewith Stuhldreher, Napoleon.
DelGreco andOfc. Phil Livingston,
another union representative.
“We had an agreement, what
happened?”Marshdemanded.
“The chief happened,”
Delgreco responded, and
explained the chief's plan for reas-
signment of personnel.
The chief then apparently told
Marsh that he was going to imple-
ment his plan for the department
without regard for the negotiated
agreementswith theunion.
Delgreco said that Marsh asked
him and Livingston to wait in an
outer office while he, the chief
and the city treasurer spoke.
Delgreco said that loud voices
could be heard and that there was
a loud door slam. Delgreco said
that Marsh then came back to the
area where he and Livingston
werewaiting to clarify the terms of
the contract as it had been negoti-
ated. He then asked Delgreco who
was in charge of the department
in the absence of the chief. The
lieutenant next in line was on
vacation so Marsh phoned Lt. Jeff
Smith and told himhewas in com-
mand of the department in the
absence ofNapoleon.
Marsh was due in Lansing last
Wednesday to have the new union
agreements with the police
department approved as part of
the consent agreement with the
state signed by the city in an effort
to stave off an emergency manag-
er.
The new contract agrees that
eight of the top seniority officers
will retire and that the city can
hire some part-time officers. The
contract also allows a reduced
staff and layoffs of some officers.
The bottom four seniority officers
will go to part-time and those
already laid off will have the
option of returning to the force on
a part-time basis, Delgreco said.
Marsh said that he felt the
entire issue had been blown out of
proportion and that everything in
the department was “back to nor-
mal.”
“It was a difference of opinion.
Now we are all moving forward,”
he said.
Both unions representing the
police officers have filed two sepa-
rate votes of no confidence in
Napoleon, listing a long series of
grievances regarding his “unpro-
fessional conduct and failure to
follow accepted police proce-
dures.”
Napoleon has said that the offi-
cers are lying about him and that
many of them are “unfit to wear a
badge.”
Free computer classes at the Romulus
Public Library, 11121 Wayne Road, are
expanding. Register by calling the library at
(734) 942-7589. The schedule:
• Introduction to Microsoft Word, 9 to 10
a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. An introduction to
word processing. Basic PC, keyboard and
mouse skills are required.
• Microsoft Word Advanced, 10 to 11 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 9. Learn to create and format
tables, insert images and create bullet and
numbered lists.
Basic PC, keyboard and mouse skills are
required.
• iPad Basics/Downloading eBooks to
your iPad, 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.
Basic introduction to using an iPad aswell as
downloading e-Books will be taught. Bring a
fully-charged iPad to the class.
• Introduction to PowerPoint, 9 to 10 a.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7. Learn how to create and
organize information within a PowerPoint
presentation. Create an attention-grabbing
slideshow with text, pictures and tables.
Basic PD, keyboard and mouse skills are
required.
• Mail Merge, 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec.
14. Learn how to mail merge in Microsoft
Office to produce letters, envelopes and
labels for mass mailings. Knowledge of
Microsoft Word, PC, keyboard and mouse
skills are required.
There is now a constant and growing
tribute toWayne-Westland firefighter Brian
Woehlke who was killed in the line of duty
May 8.
A red leafed dogwood tree is now taking
root in front of the Wayne Westland Fire
Station on Wayne Road, planted by mem-
bers of theWayneRotary Club as a remem-
brance to Woehlke and a tribute to all fire-
fighters, a spokesperson said. The Rotary
Club purchased the tree and made all the
necessary arrangements to plant it on the
south side of the fire station near Wayne
Road just above the Rouge River. Assistant
Fire Chief/Fire Marshal John Adams, Capt.
Lee Triltsch, Wayne Mayor Al Haidous and
John Van Stipdonk were on hand to plant
the memorial tree, along with other city
officials andmembers of theRotaryClub.
Adams thanked the Rotary members for
the tribute which is intended to be a
reminder not only of Woehlke, but of the
service of all firefighters.
“We are very active in community out-
reach,” Adams said. “We support you as
you support us,” he told the audience.
Haidous said the tree honors Woehlke's
memory and also honors the sacrifices of
men andwomenwho serve the community.
“I hope with the new fire department
concept inWayne, they knowhowmuchwe
appreciate their efforts and job,” Haidous
said.
“We continue to work to minimize the
dangers for them but the danger is always
there.”
Ride on
Romulus resident Harvey Nichols (center) was the winner of a 2013 Del Ray Scooter
raffled off by the owners of Jake's Auto & Truck Repair to raise funds for the Romulus
Animal Shelter. The drawing took place during the Romulus DDA Pumpkin Festival.
Jake (right) and Marlena Kardys, owners of the two Jake's locations in Romulus,
donated the scooter for auction. Councilman William Wadsworth (left), who spear-
heads fundraising for the shelter, said the auction raised $1,871 and Pumpkin Festival
bingo at the Senior Center raised about $2,500. He thanked everyone who supported
both events. Wadsworth said the Animal Shelter account now contains about $25,000
that has been raised since the shelter was built with donations from the public and
funding from the Romulus Tax Increment Finance Authority.