Independent institutions that check this jurisdiction's own power — audit, ombudsman, inspector general, civilian review, ethics, and grand-jury bodies established by statute.
The Michigan Auditor General is appointed by a majority vote of the members elected and serving in each house of the Legislature (effectively a joint session majority), serves an eight-year term,...
Read scorecard → 02 AuditMCOLES is Michigan's law-enforcement standards and decertification commission, established by PA 203 of 1965 (MCL 28.601 et seq.). It licenses all sworn officers, sets minimum training and conduct...
Read scorecard → 03 Ethics CommissionThe Michigan Board of Ethics provides advisory opinions on ethics and conflicts of interest for state officers and employees. It has limited enforcement power compared to many other state ethics...
Read scorecard →Michigan's statewide law-enforcement oversight is thin. The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES, MCL 28.601 et seq.) is the sole independent statutory body with binding authority over individual officers — it can revoke licensure/decertify for serious misconduct but does not independently investigate use-of-force incidents. The Auditor General (Const. Art. IV §53) audits MSP and MDOC but issues no discipline. The Board of Ethics (MCL 4.401 et seq.) handles advisory opinions for state employees including police. Michigan abolished its Legislative Corrections Ombudsman in 2012 (PA 200) and has no replacement. No state-level independent civilian review board for local police or sheriffs exists; the MSP and MDOC inspector-general offices are internal executive functions without separate statutory charters.