Board of Police Commissioners
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Criminal Justice
Thursday, July 18, 2024
3:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. EDT
1301 Third Street South Detroit, MI 48226 (Directions)
Suite 767
Join meeting on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81981390642
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Paige Rollins
Commissioners interviewed three of their top five candidates for board secretary, and discussed complaints from older constituents whose events have been shut down as part of DPD's crackdown on illegal block parties.
Live reporting by
Meghan Rutigliano
Commissioners interviewed three of their top five candidates for board secretary, and discussed complaints from older constituents whose events have been shut down as part of DPD's crackdown on illegal block parties.
Hi Detroit! I’ll be live-tweeting the Board of Police Commissioners today at 3pm on behalf of #DETdocumenters. @DetDocumenters media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @metrotimes @michigan_public @media_outlier @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit
01:57 PM Jul 18, 2024 CDT
The public is invited to join in person, by Zoom, or via phone. The meeting will be held in person at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters - Skylar Herbert Room, 1301 Third St, Detroit, MI, 48226. For info on how to join remotely, visit this link (). detroitmi.gov/events/board-p…
detroitmi.gov/events/board-p…
Another option for the public: BOPC Meeting can be viewed at scroll down to select City TV Channel 21. detroitmi.gov
detroitmi.gov
IMPORTANT: If you believe anything in the coverage today is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.
There will be time allotted for public comment. Please use the following link to sign up for public comments (Limit Comments to Two Minutes) app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d26fa38…
app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d26fa38…
Darryl Woods is new acting Chairperson of the BOPC, having recently taken the reins from Quantez Pressley.
Here we go....with public comments. They are waiting for a quorum.
Commenter asking for support with ongoing murder investigation. He's in person, visiting from Chicago in support of his aunt. He's being given information about how to connect forward with Commissioner Smith "to take it offline".
Female commenter addressing Commissioner Bernard. She agrees with Bernard about black people being treated differently at events. Celebrates Darryl Woods for the way he's contributing.
Quorum reached. They're pausing public comments to move forward. Introductions/Roll Call: Woods, Smith, Bernard, Banks (excused absence), Burton, Carter (excused absence), Hernandez, Pressley Agenda approved.
Chief of Police Report: Bliss on behalf of Chief White drag racing & block parties (have been a big topic) DRAG RACING Issued 14 traffic citations to Drag Racers, recovered 8 weapons, responded to 79 calls for service BLOCK PARTY 79 responses 895 people investigated
For exact stats from Chief of Police Report, refer to after the meeting and look at meeting notes. documenters.org
documenters.org
Questions: Moore: With regard to evictions, what is DPD's role? Bliss: To preserve peace. Moore: At Palmer park, there were tasers used. Bliss: Yes. correct. They had a weapon. Moore: Complaints? Do repeated calls show up as new cases in stats? Bliss: Unclear. Will clarify.
Hernandez: How many complaints against officers are under investigation? Internal numbers vs. external numbers Bliss: Will try to get an answer back by end of session.
Bernard: Tell us by next meeting about overtime stats. More overtime, how is it being recorded? Monitored? Costs. Bliss: Yes, I will have that for you.
Discussion is ensuing now about block parties. Bliss talking about fatal shootings at block parties. Residents are not safe because they're being blocked from their own streets. The parties being shut down are sometimes NOT the ones who are bad actors.
Board member sharing that community members have been reaching out and they're very very upset about having their events shut down due to having too many people.
Pressley: What is an estimated time frame for the process of block party approvals? to ensure that parties are not shut down. Bliss: It could take a couple weeks to plan for street closures and permitting. Pressley: I'm asking because "pre-existing" events might be compromised
DPD doesn't want to shut down longstanding events. Recommends meeting with local precincts/NPOs to ensure it's on calendar and in compliance.
Tamara Liberty Smith District 1, Vice Chairperson is the one holding space for discussion and initially raised the questions about block party ordinances. Says people running events for 30 years have been told they have to cancel. 😠
Request to review the ordinance that was brought up at City Council.
Bernard: What are the fees required to secure permitting for events? Agrees with Smith that there should NOT be shut downs of private residences hosting events.
They're now doing 5 interviews? BOPC Officers’ Report – Chairperson Darryl Woods A. Interview BOPC Secretary
OK, here's context: Hernandez is saying that there was public request that BOPC secretary interviews for all 5 candidates be hosted during this meeting!
Strap in, folks! HR's John Tipton conducting the interviews. Each of 5 candidates will be asked same 5 questions.
First Candidate: Board member Ann Arbor Board of Transportation, Mentor the Youth, Ann Arbor Public School District
Question 3: How do you handle conflicting demands? NYE he had multiple bosses, competing priorities and a new product launch. Had to figure out how to make it work and be efficient.
same candidate: got funding for transportation, loves working in the areas that need the most help. Looked to accommodate as many kids as possible. Question: Civilian oversight of law enforcement? What would you need to do to be the best? Answer: Learn info to empower others
Hernandez: Thanking him for applying. It's an Executive Director role. It's not just a secretary role. Have you read the city charter as it relates to BOPC? Answer: Yes. He will be the one who makes sure everyone is on the same page, transparent.
Bernard: Why are you interested? Answer: He wants to engage others, wants to be able to share expertise and give back and show others how he can do the job. He will make others feel valued.
He wants to make it safe for each employee at DPD to feel safe coming home at night. OK, the first applicant was named Mr. Franks. ⭐️
New candidate: Female (last name: Page?) How does your experience prepare you for the role? A: Started out in financial/budgetary/legal oversight.
Question 3: Organizing, planning, prioritizing work. How do you manage conflicting priorities? Describe time under pressure. A: Uses her calendar. (My opinion: she lacked specific examples here)
Question 4: Dealing with disruptive, angry people. A: Take the conversation offline.
Candidate saying she will work with data, ask a lot of questions.
Q: City charter: Have you read it? Do you get BOPC's role? This role? A: yes. understands the role. Q: What do you know about police oversight? A: Means decreasing violence, increasing community engagement
Female, Ms. Tyson is 3rd candidate. Previous Experience: Diverse experience. Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Degree in Biz Mgmt, Associates in Paralegal studies and more that I didn't catch. Worked as a consultant for ACLU, Michigan Justice Fund, V.A.C, and others.
Behaviors: doesn't raise voice, makes sure there can be a civil conversation during disagreements Business Acumen: What is the best way to manage multiple stakeholder expectations A: Find out 1) What is the stakeholder's interest? 2) How to effectively communication with them?
Why interested? Family in all 7 districts. Believes that working with the BOPC can make it possible to ensure a better, safe community. Passionate about criminal justice! Had done advocacy work over the years! (Aside: GREAT ANSWER!)
OMG now they are talking about all of the questions, what they are, whether it's fair for the candidates to know the questions in advanced. NEXT Male Candidate #4: Mr. Zacharias (spelling?)
LOL. Their 2 remaining candidates are not there. In the interim, they are back to public comments.
Female commenter: No one should be excused from doing their jobs. Chief White and Warfield need to get their houses in order.
Taura Brown: A murder happened during an eviction. () Why wasn't bailiff asked to step out? freep.com/story/news/loc…
freep.com/story/news/loc…
Why wasn't bailiff excused after police arrived? Why wasn't someone there to deescalate the situation? A bailiff shot him, not a police officer.
Male Public Commenter: He's taking issue with the BPOC Secretary interview questions. You ask for conflicting demands and not about ethical and moral standards.
Female commenter: Having a PTSD attack because her cousin's cold case is in this office, husband's case in office, son's case in their office. Stars are not "permitted" to commit crimes and yet they're excused.
Former Commissioner Davis as a public commenter: Says that the response time is very concerning here: freep.com/story/news/loc…
freep.com/story/news/loc…
It's kinda funny because they didn't shut off the recording so I hear them talking about random things like writing bank checks, what they're having for dinner, etc. Should reconvene momentarily.
Oh no! They're not going to have the 2 remaining candidates here in the session due to HR's scheduling and misalignment. Burton has exited and has not submitted his rating. WOW.
They're saying they should leave him out. Discussing that they should not act without allowing Burton to rate the candidates.
Motion to reschedule the two candidates for next week. Use the ratings from those who interview all 5 candidates. Ratings don't have to be turned in today.
Motion carried. No Announcements. New business: YES! They saw my tweet. LOL. They're sharing the feedback I gave. 🤣
New business: Woods is saying that regarding March 2nd---those legal monitors were treated unfairly. Wants to say that publicly. BOPC will continue to dig into the situation. Bernard: BOPC has sent official letter responding to request that the 5 tickets be dismissed.
Bernard says she'll share the letter so that the public can see the complaints issued against DPD for their actions on March 2, 2024.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m. Detroit Public Safety Headquarters 1301 Third St., Detroit MI 48226
This concludes my coverage of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meeting today. For information about the next meeting, visit: detroitmi.gov/government/boa…
detroitmi.gov/government/boa…
Want news like this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Detroit Documenters newsletter!
Agency Information
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
The Board of Police Commissioners has supervisory control and oversight of the Police Department, including plenary authority over citizen complaints and the power to appoint fact finders, subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence. The Board also appoints a civilian as Director of Police Personnel and approves all promotions made by the Chief. The 11 member board is comprised of 7 elected members from each city council district and 4 members appointed by the Mayor. https://detroitmi.gov/government/boards/board-police-commissioners
More from this agency
Board of Police Commissioners, Evening Community Meeting
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, March 13, 2025
6:30 p.m. EDT
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, March 20, 2025
3:00 p.m. EDT
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, March 27, 2025
3:00 p.m. EDT
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, April 3, 2025
3:00 p.m. EDT
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, April 17, 2025
3:00 p.m. EDT