Police, Fire Unions Speak Out Against Bay City Public Safety Director’s Actions Against Teen

The members of the Bay City Police Officers Association of Michigan, Bay City Command Officers Association of Michigan and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 116 have issued a joint statement condemning the recent actions of Bay City’s Director of Public Safety Michael Cecchini.

Michael Cecchini was placed on administrative leave by the city after receiving a complaint he assaulted a teen on September 17. A video circulating on social media shows Cecchini getting into a verbal confrontation with a teenager after a group of teens were riding scooters apparently squealing tires outside Cecchini’s apartment at Uptown. Cecchini can be seen jabbing his flashlight into the teen’s midsection and telling him he was going to beat him and take him to jail.

The unions say members of the department are expected to be held to a higher standard. They say Cecchini’s actions are an embarrassment for the department and expect him to be held accountable for his conduct.

Read the full statement below:

“The members of the Bay City Police Officers Association of Michigan, Bay City Command Officers Association of Michigan, and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 116 are united and stand ready to continue serving the citizens of Bay City in the caring and professional manner in which they deserve.

Collectively, we condemn the recent actions of Public Safety Director Michael Cecchini and we are embarrassed by the shadow it casts upon our organization. The Bay City Department of Public Safety is comprised of proud professional police officers and fire fighters; we expect to be held to a higher standard.

The BCPOAM, BCCOAM, and IAFF 116 urge authorities to resolve the matter swiftly and we expect Michael Cecchini to be held accountable for his conduct.”