LANSING — Last week, the news broke that Republican James Craig operated for the entirety of his 8-year stint as chief of Detroit Police Department without completing the process to become “a fully [Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards] certified law enforcement officer” – after pledging that he would in 2013.
It was also uncovered that he sidestepped similar mandatory standards to get authorized to make arrests and serve warrants as Cincinnati police chief, complaining that the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission’s requirements were “overly time-consuming.”
While he may not be authorized to complete standard law enforcement actions, Craig has shown that he’s gone above and beyond as a political insider. Today, the Michigan Democratic Party is congratulating James Craig and presenting him with an award for being a Certified Political Insider.
From MIGOP co-chairs Ron Weiser and Meshawn Maddock holding events with local chapters to exclusively introduce Craig to Republican primary voters, to supplanting him with a host of insider staff and consultants, to rigging the straw poll that took place on Mackinac Island, Craig has demonstrated he’ll keep needing the party to prop him up at every turn. Former governor and current special interest lobbyist John Engler even launched a PAC for Craig in September and serves as its treasurer.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Despite promising the communities he served that he would multiple times, James Craig just couldn’t manage to complete the standard certification process to be able to carry out the most basic law enforcement duties for the entire final decade of his career. So we’re helping out the best way we can – by reminding Michiganders of just a few of the ways he has established himself as a Certified Political Insider. Expect the MIGOP to keep their thumbs on the scales of this messy and divisive primary for as long as it takes.”
