DETROIT – A longtime Detroit police officer is questioning arrest tactics in the Detroit Police Department.
The gist of the complaint is when a vehicle is pulled over and police find a weapon -- officers are instructed to arrest everyone even if they’re not involved.
“When I found these allegations of wrongdoing and people having their rights violated, I could not stand by,” said the officer, who is not being named.
When the officer, who is with the the 10th Precinct, learned of the standing order, he took it to his superiors.
“When I questioned them about it, both of them said, ‘We’ve got our orders,’” he said. “And one of them even went as far as saying, ‘Look, I got my orders. I’m trying to get confirmed. And it’s not my choice. I’ve been ordered to do this.’”
He also alleged that probable cause for the traffic stops usually has little to no merit.
“It’s troublesome to me because these are mostly young Black folks, young kids, and now these kids have a record so-to-speak,” he said.
“We definitely take that very seriously and we will investigate it,” said Detroit police Assistant Chief Todd Bettison. “There’s no policy. Under Chief Craig’s leadership, we have been 100% transparent and the tone is we don’t have quotas. We don’t set standards where we say you have to go out and make that arrest.”
The officer’s attorney said he represents another officer from a different precinct who is making the same allegations.
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