Greece Police Chief Mike Wood – who has been on administrative leave since May – claims the town is illegally trying to force him out.
In a notice of claim released Wednesday, Wood says the efforts date to March 11, when Supervisor Jeff McCann demanded his resignation.
Wood’s filing does not elaborate on a reason for the demand, but shows that his relationship with town leadership had soured well before town officials said they learned of past allegations against a deputy chief that Wood had hired.
That was the stated reason for placing Wood on leave. McCann later announced the town had hired lawyers to conduct what he expected would be a months-long investigation that, at last check, was still ongoing. Town officials did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday morning.
Wood is seeking unspecified damages, claiming the town’s actions have hurt his professional reputation and future employment opportunities.
“After nearly 40 years of building a reputation for integrity in law enforcement, I was brought to the Greece Police Department specifically to restore public trust after several leadership failures,” Wood said in a statement released Wednesday.
“I did exactly that,” he continued, “addressing long-standing organizational problems, strengthening accountability, refusing to tolerate misconduct, and insisting on ethical leadership and transparency. In doing so, I became the target of an unnecessary and politically motivated investigation. I have every confidence that a fair and objective review of the facts will clear my name and reaffirm the integrity that has defined my nearly four decades of public service.”
Wood claims that, after demanding he resign, McCann refused to negotiate a severance. The town allegedly then did not file a pension waiver that had been filed in prior years — which would allow him to both collect his state pension and his town salary — “to try and force him to resign,” the filing states.
“That tactic also having failed, the town respondents then decided to instigate an investigation undertaken without legitimate factual or operational basis into dated, discredited allegations that do and will show no misconduct,” the filing states.
Former Deputy Chief Naser Zenelovic resigned after the town announced it was launching an internal investigation into harassment and stalking claims leveled against him when he was with the Rochester Police Department. That 2022 investigation by state police involved allegations from 2019. Wood, in his claim, states that the town’s investigation into the matter seeks to rehash “an investigation undertaken without legitimate factual or operational basis into dated, discredited allegations.”
