LANSING — This morning, the Michigan Democratic Party filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the City of Detroit’s Law Department to uncover whether former Chief of Police James Craig was acting illegally during his tenure as chief of police and conducting law enforcement activities without the certification to do so. The full text of the request can be viewed here.
Those that have not completed their Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards are not permitted to carry out certain law enforcement activities including but not limited to making arrests, serving warrants, and issuing citations.
Earlier this week, Michigan Radio broke the story that the Republican candidate for governor was never a licensed officer for the entirety of his chief tenure at Detroit Police Department – which lasted from 2013 to his retirement earlier this year.
At the beginning of Craig’s tenure, he affirmed the importance of the certification when a DPD spokesperson publicly assured that “Chief Craig voluntarily intends on completing the process to become a fully [Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standard] certified law enforcement officer.”
Craig also operated as an uncertified chief in Cincinnati, complaining that the process was “overly time-consuming” and immediately vacating the role once an Ohio court dismissed his appeal to circumvent it.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“James Craig made the most basic of promises to the residents of Detroit – that he would get licensed to be a police officer – but couldn’t be bothered to keep it. We’ve filed this FOIA today because Michiganders have the right to know whether Craig operated illegally by conducting law enforcement duties he wasn’t certified to carry out, or whether he’s been overinflating his “leadership” and never so much as wrote a ticket during his years as chief. Either way, all signs point to a politician that can’t credibly claim they’ve led from the front.”
