In honor of Black History Month, Southwestern Michigan College’s Diversity Committee and Dowagiac Area History Museum will host a panel discussion at SMC Feb. 24 with homegrown police leaders.
“Looking Back and Forward: Historic and Modern Issues Facing African Americans in Law Enforcement” takes place at 3 p.m. in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus. DAHM Director Steve Arseneau will moderate, and the discussion is free and open to the public. The museum will be unveiling a new exhibit case on Chief George Grady (photo below) that week.
George Grady, standing, served as Michigan’s first African American police chief, 1965-1974. He hired Joseph Underwood, Jr. as a patrolman (seated in the patrol car). Underwood became Michigan’s first African American sheriff in 1988 and served 24 years in Cass County before retiring.
Panelists include Dennis Grady, son of George Grady, Michigan’s first Black police chief, and his 1975 Dowagiac Union High School classmate Randy Pompey. Both completed careers with the Michigan State Police, for which Pompey was the first Black pilot. They will be joined by Eric Payne, a 1982 Dowagiac graduate who recently retired as Grand Rapids’ first Black police chief.
Dennis Grady retired from the MSP in 2003 as a sergeant after more than 23 years. His last assignment was Lansing Post 11 as shift commander, supervising road troopers and post operations. He lives in Lansing with his wife, Barb. He holds a 1979 bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., with minors in political science and education and a teaching license in grades 1-12.
Pompey, an Air Force veteran, graduated from the MSP Police Academy’s 96th recruit school in 1979.
While serving in the state police, Pompey attained the rank of trooper, uniform sergeant, pilot/sergeant, detective sergeant and detective lieutenant.
Upon retiring from the MSP, he accepted a position with the North Carolina Department of Corrections as a parole/probation officer, and later worked with the Michigan Attorney General’s office as an investigator.
In 2006, Pompey became deputy chief of the Benton Harbor Police Department, then chief of the Coloma Township Police Department in 2009, serving until 2015.
Payne became police chief July 22, 2019, with 32 years of experience with the Grand Rapids Police Department. He attended Grand Valley State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He worked as a GVSU police officer until joining Grand Rapids in September 1987.
As captain, Payne commanded the South Service Area, then the Investigative Division, which includes the detective, vice and forensic services units. In September 2017, he was promoted to deputy police chief of operations, overseeing the patrol division, special response team, traffic unit and special events office. Payne commanded the crisis negotiation team from 2010-2018.
SMC’s first-year Grady Scholars leadership-development program is named for George Grady, a Navy diver and Korean War veteran who served for nine years, 1965-1974, hiring as a patrolman Joseph Underwood Jr. Underwood became Michigan’s first Black sheriff in 1988, serving 24 years in Cass County before retiring at the end of 2016.
Those interested in learning more about Southwestern Michigan College or applying for the next class of Grady Scholars in Fall 2022 should visit swmich.edu.
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