MELVINDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — It would be hard to find a police officer in Melvindale more polarizing than Lt. Matthew Furman. In his 12 years on the job, he’s been promoted and celebrated. Suspended and criminally charged. Fired and brought back.
Furman says he’s on the receiving end of so many allegations because, unlike many in law enforcement, he's "proactive" about seeking out and stopping crime.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me I’m a great police officer,” Furman said recently.
Today, he is under investigation by both Michigan State Police and Melvindale Police over a traffic stop that ended with a man being repeatedly drive-stunned with a Taser that the driver claims was abusive.
Furman says it’s just the latest false claim against him.
History of controversy
The slew of allegations against Furman throughout his career—that he adamantly denies—can be found in citizen complaints, lawsuits, police reports and depositions.
One claim, from 2016, stemmed from Furman pulling over a mother driving her two small children. Her vehicle had no car insurance and Furman ordered the car towed.
Instead of letting the woman wait for her ride, she claimed, Furman dragged her out of her car and onto the ground, forcing her over the vehicle’s hood, all in front of her children.
Furman would be suspended for three days, but the suspension was later overturned by the Public Safety Commission. He denied any wrongdoing.
Just a few months after that, he would detain a robbery suspect who said Furman “slammed his head into the police car” while he was handcuffed.
A lieutenant reported that he “witnessed this,” and told the man he would “not sweep that incident under the rug.”
Another officer there said, under oath, that Furman went “way over the line” and split the man’s head open.
Furman told 7 News Detroit that he didn’t cause the injury; it was the people the man was stealing from. He said the two officers were mistaken in what they reported.
“I’m not going to call them liars,” Furman said in January. “But I’m going to say their perspective was probably off. Because they were halfway down the block.”
Furman says that an outside investigation cleared him of any misconduct and that he ultimately faced no discipline.
A former Melvindale police chief said he tried to reign Furman in and was terminated as a result.
In a lawsuit filed in 2017, Chad Hayse said Furman “engaged in repeated incidents of police brutality,” but that he was discouraged from holding him accountable because of the significant revenue generated when Furman towed vehicles
Furman denied that and, in his own lawsuit against the city, claimed the chief retaliated against him because he favored a different towing company no longer used by the city.
Both lawsuits were settled out of court.
In 2019, Furman would be charged by Wayne County’s prosecutor, accused of assault after Furman responded to a disorderly conduct complaint. While there, an intoxicated man would accuse Furman of throwing him down a flight of stairs.
Furman denied the charges, saying the man fell on his own.
The prosecutor would dismiss the assault charge in exchange for Furman pleading no contest to willful neglect of duty. He would be fired over the incident, but an arbitrator overturned his termination, saying the city offered no concrete evidence that Furman threw the man down the stairs.
Today, Furman says he has withdrawn his no-contest plea.
‘I’m very proactive'
Two years later, Furman was part of a high-speed police chase. The suspect had stolen a vehicle, police said, after striking an officer. After his vehicle crashed, he fled on foot before officers surrounded him.
As officers from multiple agencies tried to subdue him, a Dearborn officer’s body cam caught Furman repeatedly stomping on the man’s leg as officers looked on.
Related Video: Extended bodycam video shows officers surround suspect following high-speed chase
A Dearborn officer would report Furman’s force to Melvindale Police. Furman told 7 News that the man was resisting officers as they tried to handcuff him, so he used the stomps as a form of pain compliance. Furman was not disciplined.
“I’m very proactive. If you are proactive, and you’re hardworking, you are going to get more complaints,” Furman said.
“But these aren’t just complaints coming from citizens,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones. “These are, in some cases, complaints coming from other officers in your department, officers in other departments. Your chief, in some cases. That’s not typical, is it?”
“I don’t know,” Furman replied.
While he’s a lighting rod within the department, plenty of officers come to Furman’s defense.
Faisal Munassar, a motor carrier officer with the department for the last eight years, calls Furman a leader within the department.
“(He) comes to work, works hard, protects our city that I live in and tries to get crime out of here,” Munassar said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”
He said that recent attacks against officers—like the one that took the life of Officer Mohamed Said last July—influence how Furman does his job.
Furman was one of the first officers to come to Said’s side after he had been killed. Today, he is on administrative leave while seeking counseling over the incident.
Dave Pawelczyk, an ordinance officer for the city, also praised Furman’s work.
“He’s trying to clean up the crime, clean up the city that I live in,” Pawelczyk said. “I’ve been here 25 years. I’ve seen the city go from good to bad, and trying to make that improvement of going back to good. I wish we had more officers like him.”
But Melvindale’s mayor says Lt. Furman can be his own worst enemy. When we talked to her last month, she said Furman belongs at a desk, rather than on the street
“Do you think he understands de-escalation?” asked Channel 7’s Ross Jones.
“No, I don’t,” said Mayor Nicke Shkira. “I feel like in the heat of the moment, he needs to learn how to put aside anger and just do his job.”
Shkira said at least one lieutenant in the department says he won’t respond to crime scenes with Furman, fearing that the call will end in trouble.
“When you have other officers say they don’t want to respond to calls with him,” Shkira said, “that can potentially cause a problem.”
‘He wouldn’t stop’
Furman’s temper is at the center of his latest controversy, and partially why he’s been on administrative duty since the summer.
On July 20, Furman would stop a vehicle being driven by Drakkar Williams for driving around traffic barricades.
To be clear, Williams should not have been behind the wheel. His driver’s license was suspended, the vehicle he was driving had no valid insurance and, when Lt. Furman asked him for his name, Williams provided a fake one.
A second officer would make the scene as Williams was told more than once to get out of the vehicle. Williams’ girlfriend was in the passenger seat and her two small children—ages 2 and 5—are watching from the back.
“Step out of the vehicle now!” Furman can be heard saying, according to body camera video. “Next thing is you get tasered. Get out of the car!”
“All you gotta do is comply,” Furman said in a January interview. “When a police officer gives you a lawful order, you’re required to follow it. When a police officer asks for your information, your name you don’t have a legal right to provide a fake name.”
According to multiple current and retired police officers who reviewed the circumstances of the stop for 7 News Detroit, Williams was arrestable for driving on a suspended license.
But what troubled every officer we showed the video to is what happened next.
Furman orders Williams to turn around and put his hands on the roof. At that point, Furman’s partner can be seen holding Williams’ right hand and shoulder.
Within seconds of ordering Williams to place his hands behind his back, Furman uses his Taser to drive-stun Williams repeatedly.
“He drive-stunned me from everywhere from my arms, my legs, my butt. He wouldn’t stop,” Williams said.
Furman would later say that he continued to use his Taser on Williams because, he believed, he tried to grab it. Williams says he never did.
Furman defended his actions.
“We don’t know if he’s got a weapon,” he said. “We don’t know what’s on his person, I don’t know what’s in his mind, I don’t know his criminal history yet.”
After Williams was subdued, Furman turned his attention to his female passenger who he said posed a threat while seated in the vehicle, and needed to be detained.
On body camera video, Furman can be heard shouting at the woman and aggressively handcuffing her before forcefully taking her to the back of the squad car.
“Sit down and shut the f*** up!” Furman can be heard saying.
Seconds later, he can be heard arguing with Williams while he remains handcuffed on the ground, at one point calling him “retard.”
Furman then heads to his vehicle, determines Williams’ real name and runs him through his computer. After reviewing his criminal history, he approaches Williams while he’s handcuffed and sitting against a fire truck.
“You got a revoked license so you shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, got a shit ton of warrants, and now you got obstructing and resisting and everything else,” Furman tells him, adding later: “You’re going to jail today mother f***er.”
After Williams stands up, another officer sits him back down. Then, with Williams’ still in handcuffs, Williams said Furman grabbed him by the back of the hair and pulled his head into the firetruck.
“Throwing my head against a firetruck, while I’m in handcuffs,” Williams said. “I can’t do nothing. I’m helpless.”
Furman said Williams posed a risk when he stood up, making the force used appropriate.
Today, Drakkar Williams is facing a slew of charges, including resisting arrest, providing false information to police and driving on a revoked license.
At the same time, Michigan State Police and Melvindale Police are investigating Furman’s actions for possible criminal and internal charges.
“It’s under investigation at this time, it will be continued to be investigated and thoroughly done,” said Chief Robert Kennaley.
Furman said his actions that day were appropriate.
“My priority’s doing whatever I have to do to go home. And if that means someone’s getting tasered, then someone’s getting tasered. Then I’m going home to my family and my friends,” Furman said. “That’s my number one goal.”
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466
