DETROIT (WXYZ) — Appearing today in front of the Police Board of Commissioners, Chief James White presented a new risk management plan, promising transparency and accountability.
“We’ve got good officers," Chief White said. "But if we were only talking about good officers we wouldn’t be having this discussion or this conversation. There are some that have fallen through the cracks."
On the same day, DPD says Chief White will be moving to suspend an officer without pay after that officer was found fleeing police in a stolen Dodge Challenger.
“There’s no room on the department for conduct like this or for officers like this," said DPD Assistant Chief David Levalley. "Chief will be taking all of the necessary and appropriate actions to make sure this doesn't happen.”
The Challenger crashed while speeding from police on the west side. The off-duty officer, a patrolman on the east side, was a passenger in the car and took off on foot after the crash.
“As the officer approached, they were able to track one of the individuals into a back yard and at that point, they identified the individual as an off-duty Detroit police officer,” Levalley said.
It’s unclear if the off-duty officer was involved in the actual theft of the car, which was stolen in Ohio several months ago. However, fleeing from his colleagues could still land him in legal trouble.
“We will be presenting information to the prosecutor's office to seek formal criminal charges,” Levalley said.
