A Detroit narcotics dealer has reportedly threatened the life of the city's no-nondefense police chief,
according to The Detroit News.
Chief James Craig said he is taking the threat seriously and has asked for state and federal backup. A law enforcement official for 30 years, this is the first time he has been personally threatened.
"This is the kind of thing that happens in Third World countries," said Craig. "We got information that a dope dealer basically said 'We need to take the chief out,' We investigated it, and it was deemed a credible threat. . . . We're taking this seriously…"
The warning was made over the Internet. No further details were made public.
Craig is not backing down. "Apparently, dope dealers don't like the cops doing their job!! I want to be there when we get this guy. I want to look him in the eye. You don't threaten any police officer, let alone the police chief," he said, the Detroit News reported.
There were 386 murders in 2012, or 54.6 homicides for every 100,000 city residents in 2012, according PolicyMic.
Craig was hired in July 2013 around the time the city went into bankruptcy. He had previously been the police chief in Cincinnati. Craig described morale among the city's 2,400 city police as "the lowest I've ever seen," according to The New York Times. He found "deplorable" conditions including dilapidated police cars and decrepit precinct houses.
He began his career with the Detroit Police in 1977, moved on to the Los Angeles Police Department and eventually served as chief in Portland, Maine, then Cincinnati, the Detroit News reported.
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