Statement from Mayor Mike Duggan and Chief James Craig on additional Federal Officers in Detroit

Chicago Defender Newsroom

6 years ago

The Detroit Police Department has had a strong working relationship with U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider and the federal law enforcement agencies here in Detroit.

Today’s announcement of additional staff for those departments was not initiated by the City of Detroit. So long as those staff are used in the continuing effort to enforce federal laws on illegal gun trafficking and gang violence, DPD will continue its strong partnership with those agencies.

For the last two months, the Detroit Police Department has responded to the protests by relying on the support of the Detroit community, not by asking for intervention by the National Guard or Homeland Security. We believe there is no lawful basis for Homeland Security intervention in the Detroit protests today, or for any increased presence of Homeland Security agents in our community. Today’s announcement appears to respect that position.

We have to address the unacceptable level of gun violence in Detroit through greater efforts by federal, state, county, DPD, and community partners all working together. We hope today’s announcement will prove to be an important step in that direction