Related: See timeline of past 2 years in Oakley

OAKLEY, MI — A small-town police department with a large force of reserve officers in Saginaw County is under scrutiny by the state of Michigan.

The state wants to know if the village of Oakley is violating any statutes that govern licensing of police officers, according to David L. Harvey, executive director of the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards.

MCOLES Executive Director David Harvey

Harvey said Monday, July 21, that the agency and the Michigan Attorney General's Office have started a joint investigation of the village, which has a population of 300 and a reserve officer force estimated at 100.

Joy Yearout, spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Schuette, did not confirm the office's involvement and said the office had no comment.

Oakley Village Police Chief Rob Reznick said the police department and reserve force has done nothing wrong.

"If there is an investigation, I welcome it," Reznick said. "We'll cooperate fully. We have nothing to hide."

Reznick has said in the past that the reserve force is a positive thing for the village. Its members are there to help the police department and village residents, he said.

Rob Reznick

The reservists, most from out of town, donate thousands of dollars to help the village with expenses. The reservists rarely work in Oakley, although they are allowed to carry weapons if they are called to duty for special events.

The Saginaw News published a series of articles beginning in March about the operation of the Oakley Police Department.

The Michigan Municipal League notified the village in January that its liability and property insurance would be cut off because of the number of lawsuits filed against the village and the police department's "lack of cooperation" with the league's risk management efforts.

The village found a new insurance policy on July 1, the day their existing coverage ran out, through a lead with a company that one of the reservists provided, Reznick said.

The Saginaw News is seeking additional information on the state's actions to review the police force in Oakley. Village Clerk Cheryl Bolf declined to say if the village has received subpoenas.

"We welcome any investigation to end this saga," Bolf wrote in an email. "We maintain we have done everything we can to make sure the village and its residents are protected. There is always two sides to every story but the media refuses to give both sides."

MCOLES is a government agency that has oversight of police departments in Michigan. It does not currently provide oversight for reserve officers.

"They are not regulated by the state," Harvey said, noting that local ordinances or charters can provide some oversight.

Harvey could not say what led the agency to begin investigating Oakley, but said the agency has received complaints in the past about other reserve forces that have prompted investigations.

"We get complaints from time to time about the misuse of reserve officers," he said, which he defines as "nonlicensed, non fully trained individuals, really civilians, who have a badge and a gun issued by an agency."

In the case of Oakley's reserve force, Reznick has said he requires every reserve officer to have a concealed pistol license when they apply to become a member and that he requires them to attend training multiple times per year.

Reznick, who was hired as the village's top cop in 2008, said the Michigan Municipal League told him years ago it did not like the idea of him operating a large reserve force.

Reznick was hired as chief of police in Jackson County's Waterloo Township in March 2014 and he said he plans to do both chief jobs at once.

— Brad Devereaux is a public safety reporter for MLive/The Saginaw News. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ MLive reporter Andy Hoag contributed to this report.