The Office of Special Investigations (OSI)

Upon assuming his position as Michigan Attorney General, Mike Cox used the lessons he learned as a county prosecutor to create the Office of Special Investigation (OSI).    The OSI is composed of an elite staff of criminal prosecutors, who, between them have prosecuted thousands of cases.  Since its inception, the OSI has led several high-profile investigations into public corruption and cold cases, most notably in People v James Redmond (Oakland County Intermediate School District) and the People v Coral Watts, an admitted serial killer.

James Redmond (Oakland  County  Intermediate  School District)

James Redmond was the Superintendent of the  Oakland Intermediate School District (Oakland ISD) while also serving as chairman of the board of the MINDS Institute.  The MINDS Institute is a Michigancorporation dealing with technology and education matters, and was given contract work for the Oakland ISD.   Dataserv, another technology company that employed Mr. Redmond’s son, was also given contract work in conjunction with MINDS and the Oakland ISD. 

In May of 2003, Cox’s Office of Special Investigations began an inquiry into allegations of improprieties in the management and operation of the  Oakland Intermediate School District.   In February of 2005, Redmondwas found guilty of misconduct in office and conflict of interest, facing a maximum of five years in prison and $10,000 in fines

As a result of Cox’s OSI investigation and subsequent charges, various legislative reforms were introduced to change the way intermediate school districts throughout the State of  Michiganare operated and monitored.       

Coral  Watts

Coral Watts had been serving a 60-year prison sentence in Texas for pleading guilty to aggravated burglary in 1982. During his pleading, Watts confessed to killing 13 women to Texas and Michigan authorities, including two victims from Michigan. In addition, Watts is suspected of 26 murders and has claimed to have killed more than 80 victims. Through unusual circumstances, credits for good behavior while in jail and automatic sentence reductions in the Texas parole system, Watts was scheduled to be released in May 2006.

Upon taking office in 2003, Cox created a state task force to examine the Watts case. Determined to keep this admitted serial killer behind bars, Cox went on national television to appeal to viewers for help in identifying other murders committed by Watts. The morning after Cox’s appearance, an eyewitness to the 1979 murder of a Ferndale woman stepped forward to identity Watts as the killer. Watts was extradited to Michigan where Cox’s office led the investigation and nationally-televised prosecution. On November 17, 2004, Watts was found guilty of first-degree murder in the case. On December 7, 2004, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“When I was sworn in as Attorney General, I created the OSI to go through Michigan’s unsolved murders, and bring today’s perspectives and best practices to those cases,” Cox said after Watts’ conviction. “Sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference, and my office stands ready to help.”