Kalamazoo city manager says no employees participated in US Capitol riots
City of Kalamazoo
By: FOX 17
and last updated 2021-01-19 11:13:19-05
KALAMAZOO, Mich. â Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema says thereâs no evidence suggesting any city employees â including police officers â participated in the riots at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
He added that the city will fully cooperate with authorities investigating the riots if any evidence becomes available to the contrary.
Read Ritsemaâs full statement:
âThere have been inquiries by local citizens questioning if any KDPS or other City employees were engaged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. To date the City administration has no information and no reason to believe that any City employee was engaged in any criminal behavior in our nationâs capital on January 6. If evidence becomes available to the contrary, the City will fully cooperate with author
Kalamazoo City Manager Apologizes At Commission Meeting
Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema was apologetic at Monday nights commission meeting for not disclosing a real reason on the departure of former Chief Karianne Thomas in September.
According to News 8 the contract for Thomas was terminated without cause but she still received a year of her final salary of $150,000 as severance pay. No clear reason for her leaving was given at the time although a retirement suggestion was emphasized in the statement released to the public.
Here is Kalamazoo City Manager s reaction from Monday night:
“When my team and I developed a message regarding Chief Thomas’ departure, our and my goal was to not harm Chief Thomas’ reputation. Her departure was not a punishment,” Ritsema said. I also wanted to ensure a smooth transition to the new chief Vernon Coakley. While factually correct, the press release and my discussions with commissioners did not mention the termination of the employment