Detroit police commissioner asks feds to probe Detroit police and board, alleging 'nexus' of corruption
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A member of the Board of Police Commissioners in Detroit levied major accusations of corruption against both the department and his own members Friday, asking the U.S. Attorney that the two be investigated.
The accusations from Commissioner Ricardo Moore allege a "nexus of police corruption," saying the board hasn't gotten data from the Detroit Police Department and that the city's charter has been violated with regards to facial recognition technology.
"The bottom line is, we need peace, we need public trust in the Detroit Police Department. The Board of Police Commissioners quite frankly, which I'm a member of, we can't give that public trust because we have our own investigations taking blocks," said Moore.
"So ultimately, what we need is a neutral body to come in, and I say the U.S. Attorney," he added.
That's Dawn Ison, who oversees the U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Michigan.
The Detroit Police Department issued a stern rebuke of Moore's allegations, saying "It is clear based on recent meetings that Commissioner Moore’s sentiments are not shared by other members of the Board."
Among the specifics of his allegations, Moore cited the recent case of a pregnant woman getting frisked and cuffed before being taken into custody for carjacking - a crime she had nothing to do with.
While some suspected she was misidentified by facial recognition, DPD Chief James White flatly denied that assertion earlier this week, saying it was because of human error. White also said the department had agreed to give the board more data on its facial recognition work.
BOPC Chair Quantez Pressley said it was important "that we be careful not to characterize an individual commissioner's position as the board’s commissioner."
He added he was encouraged by the work that White had done and his recommendations for better policy to avoid others aren't misidentified.
Detroit police released a lengthy statement calling the commissioner's comments "irresponsible" with "no basis in fact" and the department had been responsive to the board, citing an agreement that was achieved yesterday that would modify the city's weekly facial recognition report to add additional information.
"Any assertion that DPD has violated the facial recognition policy is equally troubling because the allegation that DPD violated the Live Streaming or Recorded Videos section of the policy is simply not true. Facial recognition software was used to analyze a still photo image extracted from a video. At no time was the facial recognition software used to analyze the video itself.
"Still more concerning is the suggestion that an MOU is needed. Our MOU has been and will continue to be the Charter of the City of Detroit and other applicable laws. Furthermore, individual commissioners do not speak for the Board of the Police Commissioners. Instead, the Board is a public body that may only speak as a "body" after thorough open discussions and voted on as a resolution. The expectation that the body is entitled to its own attorney so that "legal agreements" may be made is inconsistent with the Charter, which specifically speaks to the City and its departments being represented by the Corporation Counsel. Any concerns over the Charter should be raised with the City’s Law Department as set forth in the Charter.
"As a Department, we remain committed to professionalism and transparency. We look forward to continuing our work with the Board to address both its concerns and the concerns of the community."