DETROIT – At Monday’s meeting of the Detroit Public Health and Safety Committee a memo to remove police officers from Detroit public schools was addressed.
Members said they were confused about what the resolution would entail.
“What is this memo? Is it going to be a resolution? What is it?” Council member Janee Ayers said.
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According to the agenda, the item was only about a memorandum for a resolution, which was not publicly available Monday. The resolution proposal was ultimately tabled until Oct. 5 -- there is no scheduled meeting on the city’s website.
“I would also urge members to read the resolution. There’s more detail there” Council member Scott Benson said.
Local 4 did reach out to council member Raquel Constaneda-Lopez, who is pushing for the removal of officers, but did not receive a comment back.
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“The district does not have any immediate plans to remove the DPSCD police department. This would mean relying on DPD police officers, who are already short-staffed and overwhelmed to address safety issues beyond the Code of Conduct in over 100 district schools. This would lead to long or non-exist responses to school level matters,” DPSCD spokesperson Chrystal Wilson said.
According to their website, DPSCD is the only district in the state with its own police department. That includes patrols and detectives, which police more than 110 schools and facilities within the district.
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The push to remove officers from schools gained momentum over the summer as protests against police brutality and for taking funding from police departments grew across the city. Even if the council’s resolution were to pass, it would only be a gesture of solidarity and it’s unclear whether any action could or would actually be taken.
“We don’t govern DPS so there’s that,” Ayers said.
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