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Mayor Schor: RELEASE THE WILCOX REPORT!

April 16, 2026; updated August 28

As reported in the Lansing State Journal April 14, the Lansing police department is refusing to release a report of its investigation of Ryan Wilcox. The investigation was completed March 27, but the LPD isn't talking about it and Mayor Schor supports the department's decision not to release the report. Wilcox embezzled from the city by mowing lawns while on the clock as an officer, reporting overtime he did not work, and charging $105,000 to a city-issued credit card over a period of 2.5 years. In addition to mowing lawns on city time, he got paid over $12,000 by the National Testing Service to do interviews for other police departments.

Wilcox retired March 10, 2025 at age 46 with 25 years of service after purchasing 14 months of service - presumably with the money he embezzled. The cost of that purchase was $186,628. This is from the minutes of the March 2025 meeting of the Police & Fire Retirement Board:

His annual pension is $108,837.73, but $20,570.64 of that had to go to his ex-wife, leaving him $88,267.09. That is $7,355.59 per month.

In May 2025, he was sentenced to 10 months of probation and ordered to pay $18,500 in restitution by 54A District Court Judge Cynthia Ward.

Rumors of Wilcox's cheating had been going around for about 15 years, so why did it take so long for him to be called to account? Was this a common practice at the Lansing Police Department? Did Wilcox just take it too far?

And why did he receive such a light sentence? Was it pressure from the Capital City Labor Program, the union for Lansing police? Is that also why Mayor Schor won't release the report of internal investigation? The City's failure to provide information requested by the LSJ over the last year is outrageous.

All I know is what I've read in the LSJ, mostly stories written by reporter Matt Mencarini. Here are links to all the stories I could find:

UPDATE: The City denied the LSJ's request for the internal affairs report, so I sent my own FOIA request. They replied on August 24:

 

  Dear Steve Harry,

The Lansing Police Department received a public information request from you on August 24, 2026. Your request was stated as:

“I would like the internal affairs report of the investigation of Lt. Ryan Wilcox.”

The Lansing Police Department has reviewed its files and your request is granted in part and denied in part.

Although the attached record is a police personnel record, pursuant to MCL 15.243(1)(s)(ix), the City of Lansing has determined that in the specific instance of the charge sheet resulting from the LPD Internal Affairs investigation into former Lt. Wilcox, the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in non-disclosure. The finding that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in non-disclosure is based on the already closed criminal case and investigation and publicly available information related to this specific matter. Therefore, your request as to the final charge sheet is granted.

To the extent that your request could be construed to apply to any other record related to the LPD Internal Affairs investigation of Lt. Wilcox, your request is denied, as the public interest in disclosure does not outweigh the public interest in non-disclosure. Such records would divulge internal affairs investigatory techniques and have a substantial chilling effect on participation in future investigations.

 

 

Here is the document they refer to as the final charge sheet.

 

So they are not going to give me the Internal Affairs report because "the public interest in disclosure does not outweigh the public interest in non-disclosure."

 

Send comments, questions, and tips to stevenrharry@gmail.com or call or text me at 517-730-2638. If you'd like to be notified by email when I post a new story, let me know.

 

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