Kalamazoo DPS Review of Mark Finchem: “Poor rating, would not rehire”

Mark Finchem, controversial House Rep for Arizona’s 11th Legislative District, is running to be Arizona’s next Secretary of State, but is under even greater scrutiny now that new documents detailing his prior work history have surfaced. A 58 page personnel file from the Kalamazoo [Michigan] Department of Public Safety provides a deeper look at the crime and fire fighting career that Mark Finchem has proudly campaigned on. 

The first 20 pages of the file detail a series of grievances Finchem filed through the Kalamazoo Police Officers Association, regarding unpaid overtime on one shift. In his grievance, he argues that he was only paid two hours of overtime but was entitled to four. A fellow officer had apparently observed Finchem being explicitly informed of the conditions he would need to make overtime on the night in question, still deciding to walk off the job early, and telling other officers that he would “let the union hash out the dispute”. In short, Finchem attempted to abuse the union’s grievance system over $32 he didn’t actually earn.

Having not learned a lesson in honesty and integrity, Finchem filed for retirement from the department a year later, which would have been 4 years early to qualify for full benefits. To escape an early retirement penalty, Finchem requested a duty disability retirement. He claimed that injuries he sustained in a fire qualified him for this. However, that injury required a medical evaluation, which he elected not to do. Finchem then dropped his request for medical retirement, instead retiring voluntarily. It seems that he only decided to do the right thing after it was clear he couldn’t prove anything.

When Finchem finally retired from the Kalamazoo DPS, he was given a rating which read, “Retired, poor rating, would not rehire”. This line really speaks for itself. Despite campaigning on his career as a firefighter and law enforcement officer, all Finchem really has to show for it are paper trails of dishonesty and a shorthand remark from a department who knew him as a weak link in the force. If Mark Finchem couldn’t demonstrate even a decent sense of duty over a 20 year long law enforcement career, we shouldn’t expect much more from him as Secretary of State.