UCI Police Chief Reassigned to Emergency Director Post : Law enforcement: The campus’s 21-officer department has been in turmoil this last year.

UC Irvine officials announced Thursday that the university’s police chief is being reassigned to the newly created post of emergency preparedness director after nearly 14 years as the campus’s top cop.

Michael P. Michell, who left day-to-day supervision of the 21-officer department temporarily last July to develop emergency plans for the campus, will officially become the director of the new two-person emergency preparedness department on April 1, university spokeswoman Karen Newell Young said. He will keep his current salary of $78,000 a year.

Assistant Police Chief Dennis L. Powers will serve as the acting police chief pending a search for a replacement, according to Young. Campus officials hope by June to name a new police chief to run the department, which has been in turmoil in the last year over officers’ complaints of favoritism, lack of professionalism and discrimination on the part of Michell and top police management.

Campus sources said Thursday that the move comes as the university’s Office of Affirmative Action concludes an investigation of grievances filed against Michell and two other officers by the only black officer of the 21-member police force.

The officer, Curtis Gridiron, could not be reached for comment. But fellow officers and other campus officials confirmed that he filed grievances against the chief and two other officers, alleging that Michell failed to investigate allegedly racist remarks made by one of the officers about Gridiron.

University spokeswoman Young declined to comment when asked about the affirmative action investigation. Davida Hopkins-Parham, the acting head of the university’s Office of Affirmative Action, did not return telephone calls.

Michell, who told subordinates to refer all queries to Young, could not be reached for comment Thursday. But several people who spoke with him said he was upbeat about his new assignment.

“The chancellor believes that Mike, because of his past training as police officer . . . is an ideal person to fill this slot,” said UCI ombudsman R. Ronald Wilson. “Mike said he thinks this is a real challenge because it gives him an opportunity to stretch in several different directions.”

A number of officers privately applauded the change, but some also expressed anger that Michell, 48, will face no loss of pay or privileges.

Others say it is time to focus on improving the department and officer morale, which hit a low point last spring during a $31,600 review of police operations by a management consulting firm. The university has declined to discuss the consultants’ findings. But officers have said reviewers advised a change at the top because Michell had lost his credibility as a leader.

“People are fearful that not enough action is being taken,” said one campus official who has closely observed the departmental troubles. “But I feel like they’ve already got Caesar’s head and they should be happy with that. (They) should concentrate on what’s needed to rebuild the department.”

Sgt. Robert Lucas, vice president of the UCI Police Officers Assn., said of Michell’s new assignment: “I think it’s probably the best for all concerned. We hope the university can go ahead now and conduct business in a fair and equitable manner.”