LANSING — Michigan law enforcement leaders are calling out Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig following reports from both Michigan Radio and Detroit Free Press that he was “not a licensed law enforcement officer in the State of Michigan during his tenure as Detroit police chief” despite promising Michiganders he would get his certification in 2013.
Marquette County Sheriff Greg Zyburt, MCOLES Board Member: “Across Michigan’s 83 counties, tens of thousands of officers are required to complete this licensing requirement James Craig apparently thought he was too good for. It will be even tougher now for Craig to claim he’s ‘led from the front’ when he couldn’t show respect for a process everyone else must go through before they get to wield a gun and badge. Too “time-consuming” to meet a basic requirement of a law enforcement officer? Imagine how exhausting he’d find the governor’s office.”
Retired Detroit Police Officer Steven Allen: “James Craig needs to explain to the same communities he swore to protect and serve why he didn’t think it was necessary to keep his word to be certified for the past decade. Craig is well aware that failing to clear this basic bar is a bad look, which is why he had his spokesperson tout his commitment to get certified in 2013. That he didn’t find the time to get it done from then to this year’s retirement isn’t just some small oversight, it’s gross negligence.”
Michigan State Police Captain Michael Brown and GOP Candidate for Governor: “Jim Craig has let down all of law enforcement with his cavalier attitude toward the uniform and the badge. When we put on the uniform and badge we not only swear an oath to protect and defend but we follow rules and procedures – foremost among those is being certified through the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). The 20,000 police officers in Michigan understand how this fraudulent representation reflects on the profession.
“MCOLES certification requires passing a written test, a firearms test, a physical and a psychological test, as well as filing documentation. Jim Craig did none of that year after year. He wasn’t even qualified to police a traffic crash in Michigan. Law enforcement is a serious business, and the simple fact that Craig didn’t follow through on his promise to get certified says a lot about his character.”
