The Detroit Police Department (DPD) is a
municipal police
Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...
force based in and responsible for the U.S. city of
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
. Founded in 1865, it has nearly 2,500 officers, making it the largest law enforcement organization in
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
History
Establishment
Town
constables
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
were appointed starting in 1801. A Police Commission was established in 1861 but the first forty officers did not begin work until 1865.
Technological innovations
In 1921, the Detroit Police Department became the first police department in the country to utilize
radio dispatch in their
patrol cars.
[Police Dispatch Radio](_blank)
''Mich Markers'' A historical marker at
Belle Isle Park
Belle Isle Park, known simply as Belle Isle (), is a island park in Detroit, Michigan, developed in the late 19th century. It consists of Belle Isle, an island in the Detroit River, as well as several surrounding islets. The U.S.-Canada border ...
describes the new advancement in technology.
Role of women and minorities
In 1893, the department hired its first
female officer (Marie Owen) and its first
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
officer (L T Toliver).
The Detroit Police Department established a Women's Division in 1921 that was tasked with cases of "
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
,
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
s,
juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...
, and checking establishments for
illegal minors." 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.
Corruption charges
In February 1940, Mayor
Richard Reading
Richard W. Reading (February 7, 1882 – December 9, 1952) was a Republican mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1938 to 1940.
Biography
Richard William Reading was born in Detroit on February 7, 1882, the son of Richard W. and Louise M. 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.
Federal oversight
In 2000, the ''
Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'' published a series of articles after a four-month investigation into fatal shootings by Detroit police officers.
At the time, Detroit had the highest rate of police-involved shootings of any large city in the United States, surpassing
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, and
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
.
The city requested an investigation by the
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
into the department's handling of
deadly force incidents.
By 2001, the Justice Department's investigation had uncovered issues with the department's
arrest
An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...
and
detention practices as well.
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
Excessive Force is a musical side project started in 1991 by Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Buzz McCoy of My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.
History
In 1991, Excessive Force released the single "Conquer Your House", followed by the album ''Conque ...
, illegal arrests and improper detention.
This process cost the city of Detroit more than $50 million.
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.
Patrol geography changes
In 2005, the department's thirteen precincts were consolidated into six larger districts as a cost-cutting measure.
The department restored a number of precincts in 2009 after citizens complained about the change.
In 2011, it was announced that the Detroit Police Department would be reverting to the original precinct structure, with officials citing "gap
in services" and concerns over the new command structure.
Headquarters relocation
On June 11, 2010 it was reported that the City of Detroit would acquire the former
MGM Grand Detroit
The MGM Grand Detroit is one of three casino resort hotels in Detroit, Michigan, and one of four in the Detroit–Windsor area. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The casino opened in its temporary location ...
temporary casino building (originally the IRS Data Center) on John C. Lodge Freeway for $6.23 million and convert it into a new police headquarters complex which would also house a crime lab operated by the
Michigan State Police
The Michigan State Police (MSP) is the state police agency for the U.S. state of Michigan. The MSP is a full-service law enforcement agency, with its sworn members having full police powers statewide.
The department was founded in 1917 as a wart ...
. The renovated building also houses the
Detroit Fire Department
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan.
The DFD operates 47 fire companies out of 36 fire stations located throughout the city, with a total sworn perso ...
headquarters. The former casino building has of space. The historic Detroit Police headquarters is in
Greektown
Greektown is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Greeks or people of Greek ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.
History
The oldest Greek dominated neighborhood outside of Greece were probably the Fener in Ista ...
. On June 28, 2013, the new public safety headquarters opened for business.
2011 Police Station Shooting
On January 23, 2011, 38-year-old Lamar Moore walked into the 6th precinct with a pistol
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
and shot and wounded 4 officers before being killed.
Fallen officers
Since 1878, the Detroit Police Department has lost 228 officers in the line of duty.
2020 coronavirus pandemic
As the
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...
coronavirus continues to spread around the United States, several Detroit Police officers tested positive for being infected with the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
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.
Rank structure and insignia
Demographics
Year 2013 breakdown of gender and ethnic minorities in the DPD.:
* 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. As of 2008, the majority of upper command members in the Detroit PD were Black.
2008 Detroit Police Department Organizational Chart
Retrieved November 22, 2012.
List of chiefs
See also
* Detroit Public Safety Headquarters
The Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, located at 1301 Third Street in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, is a law enforcement and fire department complex which houses the headquarters for the Detroit Police Department, Detroit Fire Department, Detroit ...
* Crime in Detroit, Michigan
As of 2018, Detroit had the fourth highest murder rate among major cities in the United States after St. Louis and Baltimore and the 42nd highest murder rate in the world. The rate of robberies in Detroit declined by 67% between 1985 and 2014 w ...
* Government of Detroit
The government of Detroit, Michigan is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, the eleven-member Board of Police Commissioners, and a clerk. All of these officers are elected on a nonpartisan ballot, with the exception of four of ...
* List of law enforcement agencies in Michigan
This is a list of law enforcement agencies in the state of Michigan.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 ''Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies,'' the state had 571 law enforcement agencies employing 19,009 swor ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Government agencies established in 1865
Government of Detroit
Municipal police departments of Michigan
1865 establishments in Michigan