Warren Evans was police chief from ??-??

Consent Decree

According to the City FAQ, Mayor Dennis Archer requested a Department of Justice investigation into the department in September 2000, and an investigation began in December 2000.

On July 18, 2003, the DPD, the City, and the Department of Justice entered into two consent decrees. They deal with use of force, arrest, witness detention, and the conditions of holding facilities.

Monitor reports are available online from 2004-2009.

Sheryl Robinson Wood was the police monitor from July 2003 to July 2009. She resigned after the FBI uncovered text messages between her and mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. She admitted to being in a relationship with Kilpatrick starting two months into her tenure.

On Tuesday, August 16 2011, the Board of Police Commissioners voted at a special meeting to fire Tina Orr as head of the Office of the Chief Investigator. The Office investigates citizen complains and is a key component of the consent decree and reports to the federal monitor. Orr was officially fired because of problems related to the Virginia State Bar suspending her license in May 2011. Four other investigators were fired for taking too long to look into complaints.

Citizen Radio Patrol

About 1,000 volunteers serve in 26 patrols. Volunteers use cars and cell phones to coordinate and track suspicious people. They have an email announcement list and keep track of crimes in and around their patrol areas. Some patrols rent space. They are reimbursed by the city for rent, mileage, equipment and other costs from an annual budget of about $270,000 paid by taxes and grants.

The patrols started in 1967 after the Detroit riot/rebellion. Oversight has shifted from the City Clerk's Office to the Mayor's Office and now the DPD. The department took control of patrol oversight in summer 2011. An audit underway as of September 2011 has found poor record keeping and inventory procedures.

2011-12 Restructuring

In November 2011, Chief Ralph Godbee announced that a restructuring of the Department was being planned, but no details about timing or effects was available. In late 2011, a description of the rumored Police Department changes was circulating by email.

Sources

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