Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer’s office filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the county, Washtenaw County Administrator Gregory Dill and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners after the passage of Resolution 25-249 on Dec. 3, which put four human resource positions at the Sheriff’s Office under the county’s control. The Board of Commissioners approved the resolution with eight votes in favor and one abstention, citing reports of misconduct within the Sheriff’s Office’s HR department, including violations of the County’s workplace standards, intimidation, retaliation and diminishing employee confidence.
Employees in these positions — including two HR specialists and two administrative operations coordinators — help Dyer hire and train other employees, maintain records, facilitate payroll, supervise the department and implement policies. The lawsuit seeks to challenge the Board’s reallocation of power.
The resolution also states it would not reduce the Sheriff’s power, as it still maintains the authority to hire and fire police officers. However, the lawsuit argues the Sheriff’s control of HR positions is crucial as workers are granted access to confidential law enforcement records. The Office claims it cannot effectively execute its duties without control of the positions…