Farmington Hills has a new police chief

FARMINGTON HILLS — At a Farmington Hills City Council meeting Feb. 24, City Council members approved the appointment of John Piggott as the city’s police chief.

Piggott had been serving in an interim role since last December, after the city’s former chief, Jeff King, accepted a position as the director of public safety for Bloomfield Hills.

“This is really personal and exciting to me, because 29 years ago I had the pleasure of hiring the new chief,” Mayor Pro Tem William Dwyer said. “I believe that the police chief’s position is the most important position in the city, next to the city manager.”

Dwyer lauded Piggott for his dedication and leadership, which according to Dwyer is needed to be an outstanding chief for Farmington Hills. The mayor pro tem also referred to Piggott’s outstanding training and education, as he holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

“We’ve cast a wide net,” Farmington Hills City Manager Gary Mekjian said of the city’s recruitment process at a previous City Council meeting.

Human Resources Director Lori Brown spoke about the recruitment process at the Feb. 24 meeting. According to Brown, the city followed all city, state and federal regulations.

“We mirrored national search models, posting the position locally on the city’s website, LinkedIn, government job boards, and relevant national platforms, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police,” Brown said.

Council voted  5-1 to accept the appointment of Piggott. Councilman Michael Bridges was an expected absence due to a business trip, according to Farmington Hills Mayor Theresa Rich.

Councilwoman Jackie Boleware was the lone dissenter.

“For City Council, I know our job is to approve the appointment that was recommended by our city manager, but I do have a concern about the process,” Boleware said. “Since this is the most forward-facing member of our community, I believe and fully support that there should have been some resident input as part of the interview process. There is a group called the Citizen’s Police Advisory Council, made up of members of the business community, the schools, and residents. It would have been a great way to tap in and get their input.”

The advisory group’s input was not sought, according to Boleware. In addition, although she has had a six-year tenure as a councilwoman, she said she doesn’t know much about Piggott, except that he has been with the Farmington Hills Police Department for a long time.

“I know the final decision is yours (Mekjian), but I think to be inclusive we should have sought out input from our community and also council members,” Boleware said. “I am not saying this to say John Piggott is unqualified in any way, because I really don’t know. I do know if he is the one appointed, I am going to do everything in my power to make certain that he is a successful chief of police for the city of Farmington Hills and that he embraces all the policies that we stand for here at the city.”

Mekjian, who made the recommendation of Piggott to the City Council, said, “Interim Chief Piggott was head and shoulders above the rest of the candidates (that applied) for this position.”

Councilwoman Valerie Knol referred to Piggott as a “consummate professional.”

Although the mayor was not part of the selection process, she has heard good things about Piggott.

“It was really special to have the people who work with you come forward and talk about what they look forward to under the (new) chief in Farmington Hills,” Rich said.

In the past 40 years, there have only been five Farmington Hills police chiefs — Dwyer, Richard Niemisto, Charles Nebus, King, and now, Piggott.

Piggott addressed the City Council and the audience at the meeting. He thanked the many people who were there to support him, including his family, friends, fellow police officers, and dispatchers.

He became emotional and fought back tears.   

“I appreciate all the support,” Piggott said. “I will do my very level-best to live up to the expectation of this job.”