You might recognize him from his University of Phoenix On-line College commercials...
He be an on-line graduate!
Detroit will soon have a new police chief. Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig will take over, saysLocal 4 Click on Detroit. Assistant Chief Chester Logan has been filling in temporarily as chief of police since former Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. stepped down amid a department relationship scandal in October 2012, says the Detroit Free Press.
Craig's History
Craig, 56, comes to Detroit from Cincinnati, but the Motor City is his hometown. He began his career in the Detroit Police Department in 1977. Since then, Craig has worked in the Portland, Maine, and Los Angeles police departments, says Cincinnati.com. When Craig was appointed Cincinnati's top cop in 2011, it ruffled feathers. He was the first chief in the Cincinnati Police Department's 200-year history to be appointed from outside the city's ranks. Cincinnati's crime rate was going down when Craig arrived. In his 19-month tenure, the decline continued. Crime dropped 13 percent and property crime 18 percent from two years ago. It was done with fewer officers, as many retired in that time. Craig instigated a police department audit, cut top-level positions, and reorganized to get officers on the street. He amended uniforms to a less conspicuous hat-optional, solid dark blue.
Selection
This isn't the first time Craig has taken a shot at Detroit's head cop position. Craig had interviewed for the job of police chief but lost to Godbee, says Local 4. This time, Craig has some state muscle on his side. Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, who now runs Detroit for Gov. Rick Snyder, favored Craig for what might be Orr's most critical appointment.
What Craig Faces
Detroit's police chief has unique challenges. CNN Money reports that 18.3 percent of residents are out of work. A 2011 Federal Bureau of Investigations report ranked Detroit the second most violent city in the nation, says MLive, despite a 10-percent crime decrease from 2010. In 2011, Detroit police reported 15,245 violent crimes: 344 murders, 427 rapes, 9,512 aggravated assaults, and 4,962 robberies. Detroit ranked as the 18th most populous city in the U.S. in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Virginia Quarterly Review says the city of San Francisco could fit in Detroit's vacant land alone.
Concerns for Craig
Both Cincinnati and Detroit have money trouble. Sixty-six Cincinnati police officers will lose their jobs to budget cuts as Craig leaves. Craig will stay on for 30 days to see the transition through, says Cincinnati.com.
Detroit local Charles Brown said in the last 20-plus years, most Detroit chiefs have done a decent job. He expects Craig will, too. However, the issue isn't the police department or chief performance. "The cause of crime in Detroit, as elsewhere, is high unemployment and poverty rates," Brown said.
An educator and Michigan native, Marilisa Sachteleben writes about issues in her state's most pivotal city of Detroit.
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