Det. David Minzey (Michigan State Police)
Minzey’s Maze:
The Criminal Mind and the State of Michigan:
Exclusive Interview with Homicide Detective & Legendary Profiler DAVE MINZEY
By: Ryan M. Place
Detective First Lieutenant Dave Minzey is the Michigan law enforcement community’s ace in the hole you’ve never heard of. But you should know him. He deserves greater recognition for his tireless service.
This man has been shot, stabbed repeatedly with a pairing knife by a Mexican lady, bitten by a guard dog, suffered wound-to-wound blood exchange with AIDS patient and finally, was in a terrible car accident that required four surgeries to get all the tiny micro shards of broken glass out of his eyeballs.
He has tracked down serial killers, sexual sadists, child molesters and more. Yes, Minzey is the boots-on-the-ground take no guff jack of all trades who exudes a hypnotically calm demeanor. He’s an excellent listener and observer, always silently processing and analyzing things.
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Born 1954 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Dave moved around and grew up in Milford and Flint, before moving back to Ypsi in 8th grade, “I was in the same grade and class as murder victim Dawn Basom at West Junior High in April 1969. Her death really opened my eyes and the whole community’s eyes to the need for strong law enforcement”, he says, “Ypsi is a rare and interesting slice of America. Half the city is hard-working blue collar families and the other half is academia, anchored by Eastern Michigan University. EMU is a great school for working people to send their kids to college. There’s occasional tension between townies and students but overall the university and the town mesh well together.”
The beautiful campus of Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI)
Minzey graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1973 and enrolled at EMU. “My Father, Mother, two brothers, and sister all went to EMU. My father Jack Minzey got his B.A. 1950 when it was Michigan State Normal College, got his M.A. at UofM and PhD at MSU in educational leadership, then returned to teach education at EMU for 25 years from 1967-1992. We have a rich history there.”
Dave himself received his B.S. in Political Science 1978 and M.A. in Educational Leadership 1989 at EMU. “In the early 70’s, I applied to the EMU Campus Police Department, became a Dispatcher, then enrolled and completed the Wayne County Police Academy at Schoolcraft College in Livonia. I had the unique opportunity to work as a police officer while still attending EMU. This experience was invaluable and also exposed me to the police culture surrounding the University and its relationship to Ypsi.”
Michigan State Police
For over 20 years, from 1978-2001, Minzey served in the Michigan State Police as a Trooper, Detective Sergeant, Detective Lieutenant and Detective First Lieutenant. “Every enlisted member of the State Police starts out as a trooper working the road. If you survive recruit school and graduate, you are assigned to a Post. I was sent to the Niles Post. A busy post covering two counties, Niles is on the state line, just north of South Bend, Indiana. Interestingly, Niles was a favorite destination of Chicago gangsters in the roaring 1920’s who flocked to the dance halls around Barron Lake.”