You might think Detroit represents one of the worst situations when it comes to urban crime, but we have something a lot of big cities don’t have, and that’s an outstanding police chief.
For the record, Detroit Police Chief James Craig is black. Also for the record, Detroit Police Chief James Craig is very serious about fighting crime, and has no interest in indulging the trendy anti-police rhetoric that is now in widespread use among politicians.
To Democrat Sen. Ed Markey’s demand that police be stopped from using force: “Completely ridiculous.” To Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s demand that we disarm the police: “When are we going to talk about disarming criminals?”
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No, he’s not leaving, and in case you need that made clearer to you:
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I don’t think Craig is expressing anything that other police chiefs don’t think. But unlike the other chiefs Martha McCallum mentions, who have been pressured out of their jobs by cop-hating activists, Craig has the support of Detroit’s very Democratic mayor, Mike Duggan.
Duggan is an interesting fellow. He came up as part of the Wayne County Democratic machine – one of those knows-where-the-bodies-are-buried type guys. He’s a creature of government, although he also had a very successful stint as CEO of Detroit Medical Center. He understands what it takes to run an organization successfully – be that a hospital or a city – and he knows he can’t spare a man like James Craig who is serious about his job and works hard to do it well.
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I think the anti-cop activists who set their sights on Craig figured he would be an easy mark because they’ve had such an easy time taking down other police chiefs in other cities. But they underestimated both the chief and his boss.
Detroit still has a lot of problems, and yes, a lot of crime. But Detroit isn’t going to make it worse by running off a real police chief who’s serious about fighting that crime.
Hate to tell you this, criminals: James Craig isn’t going anywhere. Which probably means you are, and to a place you’re not going to like.
