City announces retirement of public safety director following complaint

By Brianna Owczarzak

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    BAY CITY, Michigan (WNEM) — The city of Bay City announced its public safety director, Michael Cecchini, is retiring.

This comes after Cecchini was placed on administrative leave following a complaint from a Bay City resident.

The complaint stems from an incident that happened Sept. 17 near Rivers Edge in Bay City.

In a video obtained by TV5, Cecchini appears to jab an 18-year-old man with his flashlight. As the video continues, Cecchini admits to hitting the man with his flashlight.

Cecchini was allegedly upset with the man because he thought he was disturbing the peace.

Shortly after the incident, Cecchini was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

On Oct. 3, the city said Cecchini has chosen to retire.

“He was the architect for the public safety plan saving the taxpayers millions of dollars in addition to working with community partners to increase diversity in the department. Our public safety staff is committed to providing safety services in a professional and caring manner and we are confident that Deputy Director Caleb Rowell will appropriately lead the staff in the interim while we determine a permanent replacement for Cecchini,” the city said.

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