Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a24183461c465094

Jump to content

// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did Detroit Police go to the donut shop? They heard it was a cop-out.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Detroit Police)

Detroit Police Department
Patch of the Detroit Police Department
Patch of the Detroit Police Department
Seal of the Detroit Police Department
Seal of the Detroit Police Department
Badge of a DPD officer with badge number removed
Badge of a DPD officer with badge number removed
AbbreviationDPD
Agency overview
Formed1865; 161 years ago (1865)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionDetroit, Michigan, United States
Map of Detroit Police Department's jurisdiction
Operational structure
HeadquartersDetroit Public Safety Headquarters
Officers2,450
Agency executive
Facilities
Precincts
12
  • Downtown Services
  • 2nd Precinct
  • 3rd Precinct
  • 4th Precinct
  • 5th Precinct
  • 6th Precinct
  • 7th Precinct
  • 8th Precinct
  • 9th Precinct
  • 10th Precinct
  • 11th Precinct
  • 12th Precinct
[1]
Website
detroitmi.gov/police

The Detroit Police Department (DPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1865, it has nearly 2,630 officers, making it the largest law enforcement organization in the state. In addition to 2,630 sworn-officers, the Department has filled 760 of 823 non-sworn positions such as dispatchers and Real Time Crime Center analysts.[2]

History

[edit]
A patrolling Detroit police cruiser in 1955
Detroit: Today and Tomorrow (1957) (29:11)
1957 documentary about the Detroit Police Department's ambulances

Establishment

[edit]
The historic former Detroit Police Headquarters at 1300 Beaubien

Town constables were appointed in the territory for Detroit starting in 1801. During the American Civil War, the city's racial tensions escalated, and protests against the draft led to the Detroit race riot of 1863. The riots resulted in two deaths, the destruction of 35 buildings, and over 200 Black residents left homeless. Although a formal Police Commission had been established in 1861, the city responded to the violence by officially creating a full-time police force, with the first forty policemen beginning work in 1865. However, the department remained predominantly white well into the late 20th century.[3][4]

1890s

[edit]

Role of women and ethnic minorities

[edit]

In 1893, the department hired its first policewoman (Marie Owen) and its first black policeman (L. T. Toliver).[3] The Detroit Police Department established a Women's Division in 1921 that was tasked with cases of "child abuse, sexual assaults, juvenile delinquency, and checking establishments for illegal minors."[5] Female officers were not allowed to work on criminal cases unless accompanied by male officers until 1973, after a series of discrimination lawsuits prompted changes in department policy.[6]

1920s

[edit]

Technological innovations

[edit]

In 1928, the Detroit Police Department became the first police department in the country to utilize radio dispatch in their patrol cars. The system used a one-way radio in a single police car to broadcast messages from headquarters.[7] A historical marker at Belle Isle Park describes the new advancement in technology.[7]

1940s

[edit]

Corruption charges

[edit]

In February 1940, Mayor Richard Reading, the Superintendent of Police, the county sheriff and over a hundred more were indicted on corruption charges. The Mayor was accused of selling promotions in the department. Eighty officers were accused of protecting illegal gambling operations in the city. In the end, the Mayor served three years in jail, ending in 1947.[8]

1950s

[edit]

In 1957, the Detroit Police Department employed 5,000 policemen and operated a fleet of ambulances to respond to medical emergencies.[9]

2000s

[edit]

Federal oversight

[edit]

In 2000, the Detroit Free Press published a series of articles after a four-month investigation into fatal shootings by Detroit police officers.[10] At the time, Detroit had the highest rate of police-involved shootings of any large city in the United States, surpassing New York, Los Angeles, and Houston.[10] The city requested an investigation by the United States Department of Justice into the department's handling of deadly force incidents.[10] By 2001, the Justice Department's investigation had uncovered issues with the department's arrest and detention practices as well.[10] Between 2003 and 2014, the Detroit Police Department was placed under federal court oversight by the Justice Department as the result of allegations about excessive force, illegal arrests and improper detention.[11] This process cost the city of Detroit more than $50 million.[11] By 2014, the department's use of force had been "seriously reduced" and the U.S. District Judge overseeing the case stated that the Detroit Police Department had "met its obligations" for reforms.[12]

Patrol geography changes

[edit]

In 2005, the department's thirteen precincts were consolidated into six larger districts as a cost-cutting measure.[13] The department restored a number of precincts in 2009 after citizens complained about the change.[13] In 2011, it was announced that the Detroit Police Department would be reverting to the original precinct structure, with officials citing "gap[s] in services" and concerns over the new command structure.[13]

2010s

[edit]

On January 23, 2011, 38-year-old Lamar Moore walked into the 6th precinct with a pistol shotgun and shot and wounded 4 officers before being killed.[14]

On November 9, 2017, undercover police posing as drug dealers tried to arrest a group of undercover police posing as drug buyers, which led to a multi-person fight and several injuries. Police Chief James Craig told the Detroit Free Press that the brawl was "probably one of the most embarrassing things I've seen in this department."[15]

Headquarters relocation

[edit]

On June 11, 2010 it was reported that the City of Detroit would acquire the former MGM Grand Detroit temporary casino building (originally the IRS Data Center) on John C. Lodge Freeway for $6.23 million[16] and convert it into a new police headquarters complex which would also house a crime lab operated by the Michigan State Police.[17] The renovated building also houses the Detroit Fire Department headquarters.[citation needed] The former casino building has 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of space.[citation needed] The historic Detroit Police headquarters is in Greektown.[citation needed] On June 28, 2013, the new public safety headquarters opened for business.[citation needed]

2020s

[edit]
Patrol vehicle in 2024
Ford Police Interceptor Utility of DPD

The 2022 budget for the department was $341 million, constituting 28.7% of the city's general fund.[18]

COVID-19 pandemic

[edit]

As the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to spread around the United States, several Detroit Police officers tested positive for being infected with the COVID-19 virus, and over 200 more were quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus in the Detroit metro area. Several infected people in the Detroit metro area had already succumbed to the virus and died after it was first discovered in the counties Detroit and its suburbs were located in. The Detroit Police suffered its first casualty to the virus with the death of a 38-year-old civilian dispatcher.

Fallen officers

[edit]

Since 1878, the Detroit Police Department has lost 250 officers in the line of duty.[19]

Rank structure and insignia

[edit]
Rank Insignia
Chief
Assistant chief
Deputy chief
Commander
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Detective
Neighborhood police officer
Corporal
Police officer
Reserve officer

Demographics

[edit]

2013 breakdown of gender and ethnic minorities employed by the DPD:[20][a]

  • Male: 75%
  • Female: 25%
  • African-American or black: 63%
  • White: 33%
  • Hispanic, any race: 4%
  • Asian: 0.4%

The Detroit Police Department has one of the largest percentages of Black officers of any major city police department, reflecting current overall city demographics. Lawsuits alleging discrimination stemming from the influence of affirmative action and allegations of race-based promotional bias for executive positions have surfaced repeatedly.[21][22][23] As of 2008, the majority of upper command members in the Detroit PD were Black.[24]

Controversies

[edit]

The table below lists people killed by and controversies involved with the Detroit Police Department.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

DateName of deceased (age)Officer(s) involvedDescription of event
2004-11-11Dennis Crawford (31)Officers LaRon York and Barron TownsendCrawford was unarmed and was killed by LaRon York and Barron Townsend. According to reports "York shot him four times, once in the back, once in the head, and twice in the leg."[25] The mother of Crawford's son claims that Crawford was shot 15 times in an online report. In addition, the federal lawsuit was settled with the Crawford family for an undisclosed amount and York was later removed from the police force, however Townsend remained and was involved in the killing of Tommie Staples in 2008.[26]
2005-02-02Wilbert Burks (39)UndisclosedKilled by police in his home. According to eyewitnesses "It was overkill,” a neighbor told reporter Dianne Bukowski. “They had over 28 shots and he never shot off a round. The house was riddled with bullets. His girlfriend had two children in the house at the time. Her teenage daughter passed out, and they had to call EMS for her. Afterwards, the police were laughing in the street, like it was a party."[27]
2005-02-12Allante Lightfoote-Powell (16)UndisclosedKilled by police in the basement of his home. Police claim he was armed and came out firing however according to reports "no gunshot residue tests were performed on his hands, according to records later obtained from DPD."[28]
2005-07-03Anthony Scott (25)UndisclosedKilled by police at a gas station. Police claim he had a knife in his hand but according to witnesses "he did not pull it or otherwise threaten the cops."[29] Scott's family sued the city of Detroit for a wrongful death. It was settled for $1.2 million.[30]
2005-08-07James A. StoneUndisclosedJames "Poppa" Stone, "died in [police] custody at the Second Precinct after pleading to go to the hospital for several days."[26][31]
2006-01 through 2006-06Alleged Rapes by Detroit PoliceOfficers Mishael Osmand, Michael Parish and othersAccording to reports, "dozens of men on Detroit’s southwest side were subjected to literal rapes during pretextual traffic stops by officers Mishael Osmand and Michael Parish, under the guise of anal cavity searches for drugs, conducted on the public streets."[26]
2006-11-26Brandon Martell Moore (16)Officer Eugene WilliamsMoore was unarmed and "shot to death in the back by off duty police officer Eugene Williams."[26]
2006-11-26Unidentified Young ManUndisclosedAccording to reports, "An unidentified young man was shot to death that evening in a hail of gunfire by police, according to neighbors. The police had pursued him on foot after he allegedly tried to rob a Family Dollar store on W. McNichols. They claimed he fired a shot at them as he ran."[26]
2007-02-12Artrell Dickerson (18)Officer Kata-Ante TaylorAccording to reports, Dickerson was "shot in the back and killed by officer Kata-Ante Taylor as the teen, already wounded, lay on the ground next to Cantrell Funeral Home."[26]
2007-07-07Jevon Royall (30)Officers Edward Brannick and Michael McGinnisAccording to reports, Royall was "shot to death outside his home in front of his family by police officers Edward Brannick and Michael McGinnis."[26]
2008-06Tommie Staples Jr.Officers Steven Kopp and Barron TownsendStaples was unarmed and shot by Steven Kopp and Barron Townsend. Townsend was also involved in the killing of Dennis Crawford with another officer LaRon York, in 2004 which had led to a federal settlement.[32] In the killing of Staples they "chased him down an alley in retaliation for the role he and his wife Jacquelyn Porter played as advocates for neighborhood children stopped by police."[33] The federal lawsuit was reported as "settled for $2.5 million" in 2010.[34]
2008-07-01Shelton Bell Jr. (16)UndisclosedAccording to reports, Bell was "shot to death by an off-duty cop after allegedly demanding the keys to the cop’s car at a gas station on the west side, then running when the cop pulled his gun. The autopsy report shows that Bell, Jr. was shot ten times, five in the chest, three in the back, once in the head behind his right ear, and once in his left arm."[26]
2008-07-18Robert Hill (35)UndisclosedAccording to reports, Hill "rode his bicycle to an apartment building in Detroit and was rammed by a police car into another vehicle."[35]
2009-08-13Unnamed MotoristUndisclosedAn unidentified motorist "died in a fiery crash" after being pursued by Detroit Police in a stolen pickup truck.[36]
2010-05-16Aiyana Stanley-Jones (7)Officer Joseph Weekley Jr.Stanley-Jones, aged 7, was shot during a Detroit Police raid. According to reports, "juries twice failed to reach a verdict in Weekley's case" allowing Weekley to walk free.[37][38]
2010-07-04Demarlo Hobbs (31)UndisclosedAccording to reports, Hobbs was "shot to death while riding a bicycle."[39] Police were seeking him for questioning after he allegedly fired shots at a Detroit home. When police approached him he fired several rounds at the police officers before he was shot to death.[40]
2012-07-08Adaisha Miller (24)Officer Isaac L. Parrish IIIMiller, was shot to death while "dancing with Detroit cop" and witnesses claim that Parrish accidentally discharged his firearm, because he was improperly carrying it.[41] The Detroit Police Chief claimed it was a "freak accident."[42]
2015-03-30Anthony Clark Reed (24)UndisclosedReed died during a traffic stop. According to reports, he had asthma and police "yanked him out of his car, shortened his breath more, and increased his heart rate" where he subsequently died.[43]

Chiefs

[edit]

The department is headed by a chief.

See also

[edit]

Explanatory notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Does not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Police Stations". Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Detroit Police Department nearly at full staffing for first time in years".
  3. 1 2 "Detroit Police Department". Encyclopedia of Detroit. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Hunter, George (February 26, 2015). "Detroit Police Department marks its 150th anniversary". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ ArchiveGrid: Detroit Police Department Women's Division Collection, 1919-1973, 2010. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Former Detroit Police Women's Division honored by City Council Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
  7. 1 2 Police Dispatch Radio Mich Markers
  8. ↑ Austin, Dan (August 29, 2014). "Meet the 5 worst mayors in Detroit history". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Detroit: Today and Tomorrow - Fire and Police Departments, and Kowalski Sausage (1957)". YouTube. July 8, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Report of the Independent Monitor for the Detroit Police Department" (PDF).
  11. 1 2 "Court oversight of Detroit Police Department cost city $50 million, chief says". Crain's Detroit Business. April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Detroit police finally rid of federal oversight". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 "Explaining the Detroit Police's Return to Precincts". Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Detroit Precinct Shooting Update: Gunman Lamar Moore Was Suspect in Sexual Assault". CBS News. January 25, 2011.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Elisha. "Detroit police chief embarrassed after cops from neighboring precincts trade punches". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ New Detroit Police Headquarters (WXYZ-TV YouTube page)
  17. ↑ Michigan State Police to run Crime Lab in new DPD HQ Associated Press via MLive July 6, 2010
  18. ↑ Dwyer, Dustin; Khan, Nisa (June 22, 2021). "A year after "defund" protests, most large Michigan cities spending more on police, not less". Michigan Radio. NPR. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Detroit Police Department". ODMP. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Police Department Race and Ethnicity Demographic Data". www.governing.com. August 27, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  21. ↑ Detroit Police Officers Association v. A Young Morgan Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  22. ↑ "989 F.2d 225". Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  23. ↑ Detroit accused of bias against white cops Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  24. ↑ 2008 Detroit Police Department Organizational Chart Archived May 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ELLA BULLY-CUMMINGS: CHIEF OF KILLER COPS". Voice of Detroit.
  27. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  28. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  29. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  30. ↑ "Wrongful Death, Family awarded $1.2 million settlement after police shot and killed a man sitting in his car at a gas station". LawyersAndSettlements.com. December 3, 2007.
  31. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  32. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020". The Detroit Free Press.
  33. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  34. ↑ "Detroit family wins $2.5 million in police lawsuit". The Final Call.
  35. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  36. ↑ "1 killed, 2 injured in Detroit police chase". San Diego Tribune. August 13, 2009.
  37. ↑ Hackman, Rose (January 31, 2015). "This article is more than 8 years old 'She was only a baby': last charge dropped in police raid that killed sleeping Detroit child". The Guardian.
  38. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  39. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  40. ↑ Harrison, Sheena (July 5, 2010). "Suspect killed by Detroit police during Sunday night shootout". mlive. Mlive.com.
  41. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
  42. ↑ "Adaisha Miller Killed: Detroit chief calls fatal hug at weekend party a 'freak accident'". CBS News. July 10, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Detroiters Killed by Police 1992-2020" (PDF). Voice of Detroit.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Detroit_Police_Department&oldid=1359996361"