The Detroit Police Department (DPD) is the primary

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

of the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1865, it has nearly 2,630 officers, making it the largest law enforcement organization in the state. In addition to 2,630 sworn-officers, the Department has filled 760 of 823 non-sworn positions such as dispatchers and Real Time Crime Center analysts.

History

Establishment

Town constables were appointed in the

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

for Detroit starting in 1801. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the city's racial tensions escalated, and protests against the draft led to the Detroit race riot of 1863. The riots resulted in two deaths, the destruction of 35 buildings, and over 200 Black residents left homeless. Although a formal Police Commission had been established in 1861, the city responded to the violence by officially creating a full-time police force, with the first forty policemen beginning work in 1865. However, the department remained predominantly white well into the late 20th century.

1890s

Role of women and ethnic minorities

In 1893, the department hired its first policewoman (Marie Owen) and its first

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

policeman (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 abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

, 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.

1920s

Technological innovations

In 1921, the Detroit Police Department became the first police department in the country to utilize radio dispatch in their patrol cars. ''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 bor ...

describes the new advancement in technology.

1940s

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. Readin ...

, 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.

1950s

In 1957, the Detroit Police Department employed 5,000 policemen and operated a fleet of ambulances to respond to medical emergencies.

2000s

Federal oversight

In 2000, the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' 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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. 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 United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

into the department's handling of

deadly force Deadly force, also known as lethal force, is the use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person. In most jurisdictions, the use of deadly force is justified only under conditions of extreme necessity a ...

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 question ...

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 Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

, 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.

2010s

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, peppergun, 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 discharges numerous small ...

and shot and wounded 4 officers before being killed. On November 9, 2017, undercover police posing as drug dealers tried to arrest a group of undercover police posing as drug buyers, which led to a multi-person fight and several injuries. Police Chief James Craig told the ''

'' that the brawl was "probably one of the most embarrassing things I've seen in this department."

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 locatio ...

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 (United States), 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 ...

. 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 and 25 ambulances out of 36 fire stations located throughout the city, wit ...

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 Istan ...

. On June 28, 2013, the new public safety headquarters opened for business.

2020s

The 2022 budget for the department was $341 million, constituting 28.7% of the city's general fund.

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, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...

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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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.

Fallen officers

Since 1878, the Detroit Police Department has lost 249 officers in the line of duty.

Rank structure and insignia

Demographics

2013 breakdown of gender and ethnic minorities employed by 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.

Controversies

The table below lists people killed by and controversies involved with the Detroit Police Department.

List of chiefs

Explanatory notes

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Government agencies established in 1865 Government of Detroit Municipal police departments of Michigan 1865 establishments in Michigan