Demonstration in Detroit at the WSU Law School while Attorney General Eric Holder was visiting. The protest was held in response to the Detroit police killing of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones on May 16. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
No drop in complaints against Detroit cops
Report finds city lagging in cleanup
BY STEVE NEAVLING
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Citizen complaints against the Detroit Police Department continue to rush in at more than 1,700 a year, showing that more needs to be done to clean up alleged misconduct, according to a report released Tuesday by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
The board, which oversees the department and handles internal investigations, said the complaints range from sexual harassment to excessive force. Twenty cases from 2009 were considered major offenses, resulting in the suspension of officers without pay.
The number of complaints has hovered around 1,700 annually since 2007, a 36% increase over 2002.
Police officials didn't respond to calls for comment.
The report also faults the department for complying with only 39% of a 7-year-old federal consent decree aimed at rehabilitating an abusive department. Among the failures was a slow response to citizen complaints.
The five-member board, appointed by the mayor, is urging the department to do a better job of recruiting police officers who "meet the moral and ethical requirements to be a Detroit Police officer."
The recommendations include conducting more in-depth background investigations of applicants, holding recruitment fairs to hire Detroit residents and clearly showing the standards and expectations of a police officer.
Al Cook, who was asking for spare change downtown, said police too often act like they are above the law.
"They're supposed to be serving us, not harassing us all the time," the 42-year-old said. "When you're on the streets, you see everything. And I can tell you the cops aren't always on the right side."
Read more: No drop in complaints against Detroit cops http://www.freep.com/article/20100908/NEWS01/9080320/1003/news01/No-drop-in-complaints-against-Detroit-cops#ixzz0yxOu7Zeg
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