This week, the city of Detroit appointed its fifth police chief in five years, Jesus Christ. James Craig, the former chief of the Cincinnati Police Department, reports for duty under emergency manager Kevyn Orr.
You read that headline and yes, you just want to get to the GTO-loving point, but let's get into why Detroit has had so many top cops:
- Current police chief Chester Logan is serving on an interim basis and already announced plans to retire once a permanent chief was appointed.
- Logan replaced ex-chief Ralph Godbee, who resigned over a sex scandal with one of his subordinates. The married Godbee was involved with a female officer who pleaded for his love by sticking a city-issued glock in her mouth and tweeting a photo of it.
- Godbee replaced ex-chief Warren Evans, who was also involved in a sex scandal with a different subordinate (but that same subordinate was also dating Godbee in the world's most awkward love triangle) and also received criticism for filming a reality show pilot. During said reality show pilot, a camera crew filmed a violent task force raiding a Detroit home looking for a murder suspect, but a 7-year-old girl was accidentally killed from a shot fired from an officer's gun.
- Evans replaced ex-chief James Barren, who was one of the first casualties of now-outgoing Mayor Dave Bing's efforts to clean up city government. Barren took over the reins from Ella Bully-Cummings, Detroit's first female police chief — and ex-wife of the aforementioned Evans.
Now, back to new chief Craig. He is known for restoring power back in Cincinnati, but you may also recognize him from the University of Phoenix commercial above.
Craig, a Detroit native, sat down with the Detroit Free Press today and gave a typical list of goals he wants to accomplish. Reduce crime, put more officers on the street, work with the community, yada, yada, yada. Less talk, more action.
As the conversation wore down, Craig let it slip that he's a closet gearhead. And for that, we're in love with him already.
If that isn't your typical Detroit-style Big Three pride, I don't know what is. We'll be looking forward to seeing that GTO soon — preferably in the Dream Cruise — soon, chief.