Dearborn Heights police chief resigns amid conflict among city leaders

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Dearborn Heights police chief has resigned, citing harassment, retaliation and the defunding of some city leaders, the mayor’s office said.

Jerrod Hart has headed the Dearborn Heights Police Department since February 2022.

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, Hart said his resignation was the result of “the ongoing harassment, retaliation, defunding of key positions and other unprofessional tactics that my leadership and I have endured from several members of the Dearborn Heights City Council.”

After months of budget debates and conflicts between the city council and the mayor, the city was facing a shutdown. The city council passed a budget last Friday.

Check out our previous check-in with Hart in the video below:

Check-in with the boss: Jerrod Hart from Dearborn Heights

“I certainly wish them all the best. The support and goodwill of people like these is a major reason I can look back with pride on my 33 years of service in the police force,” Hart said in a statement released by the city.

“I am devastated by the loss of Chief Hart,” Mayor Bill Bazzi said in a statement. “He was a key figure in reorganizing and improving our police operations – resulting in many creative and innovative initiatives that helped protect our community while providing our officers with opportunities for professional growth. He will be greatly missed and I wish him the very best.”

Bazzi appointed Police Department Director Kevin Swope as the new police chief, effective immediately.

The mayor said this could be the first of several changes in the city’s leadership.