DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A former Dearborn Heights police officer has been arraigned on two felony counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

The incident occurred in December 2021 and involved former officer Paul Graff, 33, and a fellow, 23-year-old DHPD officer and is believed to be racially-motivated as Graff is White and allegedly threatened an Arab American officer. 

Graff was arraigned on two counts of felonious assault after threatening the other officer with a military-style knife in the police department break room. Graff was given a $5,000 personal bond.

“Following the December 2021 incident involving the officer and a fellow DHPD officer, he was terminated,” Chief Jerrod Hart said. “In honor of the judicial process, I will not be commenting on the specifics of this incident. However, I would like to offer my support to all those Dearborn Heights police officers who wear our uniform with honor, integrity and an unyielding commitment to providing exceptional service to our community. We are wholly committed to providing fair, professional and exceptional service to our community, and fully embrace a culture of continuous improvement in both our procedures and services.”

The incident happened prior to Hart taking over as chief. Graff was terminated on April 25, 2022.

The case was referred to the Michigan State Police for a criminal investigation, which was ultimately turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for a review of the charges.

Mayor Bill Bazzi said that the department is progressing forward.

“Chief Hart, his leadership team and our dedicated officers are doing a great job of moving this department forward,” he said. “I am proud of their progress in this mission to make the Dearborn Heights Police Department a truly 21st century department our city officials, our residents and our business owners can be proud of.”

The Probable Cause Conference for Graff is scheduled for August 2 before Judge Mark Plawecki.