DETROIT – City of Detroit officials announced Wednesday that a Detroit Police Department training facility will be renamed after the late Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.
The building, located on Oakman Boulevard was purchased by Focus Hope for $1 million, is currently occupied by DPD’s Organized Crime and Gang Intelligence units. A building on the site will be renovated into a training facility. Another portion of the building will be used to store DPD records.
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Napoleon died in December 2020 after a battle with COVID-19.
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“Benny Napoleon made an impact on our city and in law enforcement that few will ever match,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “While his experience was vast, it was always major crimes – particularly gang related criminal activity – that he most sought to affect throughout his career at DPD and as Sheriff. Now, future generations of DPD officers will be reminded of his legacy, his contributions to the community and his commitment to this work every time they step into this building.”
Napoleon’s daughter, Tiffani Jackson, said “I’m honored and thankful that Mayor Duggan and the members of City Council have decided to pay homage to my father in such a grandiose and public manner. This building would mean the world to him.”
Napoleon started as a patrol officer for the Detroit Police Department when he was 18 years old. Over time, he worked his way up to Detroit Police Chief from 1998 to 2001 under former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer, spending nearly half his life with the DPD.
In 2004, he became the Assistant Wayne County Executive before being appointed to Wayne County sheriff in 2009.