WESTLAND, Mich. – Westland’s police chief resigns after controversial videos surface of his time before he became the city’s top cop.
The videos capture Jeff Jedrusik harassing citizens while he was an officer 25 years ago.
Metro Detroit leaders had been calling for the resignation of the former chief since those videos came to light, but some say they still have questions and concerns about how all of this was handled.
One council member told Local 4 the city has known about the recordings for months.
“It was a really disappointing thing to see,” said State Representative Dylan Wegela.
The recordings may be decades old, but they are the source of anger and outrage.
The video shows an officer encouraging people to dance and sing to avoid jail time.
“There’s a mistrust in the community looking at the videos and actions, and they’re deeply disturbing that someone would do that to anyone, let alone the position of power to be a public safety officer,” Wegela said.
The officer in the video is Jedrusik, who would eventually become chief of Westland police—a position he held for nearly 11 years.
“How can a police chief go to his officers after this comes out and then reprimand them for anything that they do in the line of duty,” Wegela said.
Wegela of Garden City co-authored a letter with Westland’s State Rep Kevin Coleman, calling on the chief to resign.
Today Representative Kevin Coleman and I called for the termination of Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik.
— Dylan Wegela (@DylanWegela) April 25, 2023
You may have recently seen a video and report detailing his past misconduct. pic.twitter.com/6eCJ1ZgWhl
On Wednesday (April 26), he did.
Local 4 obtained a copy of the chief’s email to the council saying he is ending his contract with the city, saying, “It’s not a reaction to the public criticisms, but a matter of timing.”
The city responded to our request for an interview with their own statement, calling the departure a mutual agreement, saying, “In the best interest of our residents.”
Michigan State Police confirmed that an investigation occurred, and results were forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutors Office.
A representative from that prosecutor’s office said they reviewed the case, and on April 20, they denied it due to the statute of limitations running out.
