The deputy mayor is expected to be named Detroit’s interim police chief

DETROIT. Mayor Mike Duggan is expected to name Deputy Mayor and former Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison as the city’s interim police chief, according to a source familiar with the transition.

Police Chief James White last week was named CEO of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. The chief, who is a licensed psychotherapist, is a 28-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department who was named Detroit’s 43rd police chief in August 2021 after serving as interim chief for two months. White served as assistant chair from 2012 until August 2020, when he left to lead the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

The new interim chief will be announced at a news conference at 12:30 p.m. at Detroit Public Safety headquarters, city officials said.

Bettison worked for the Detroit Police Department for 27 years before leaving in 2022 to become deputy mayor. He started with the department in 1994 as a patrol officer. according to his biography on the city’s website, and five years later he was promoted to sergeant, and a year later he was promoted to lieutenant. He was the 1st assistant chief when he left the department.

After becoming deputy mayor, Bettison served as Duggan’s point person on community affairs, including efforts to find jobs for Detroit residents and “Shot Stoppers” anti-violence program.

In 2007, when he was police chief, Bettison found himself at the center of controversy after he crashed an unmarked car into a utility pole on Detroit’s east side. Bettison, who was off duty, later pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence after initially being charged with driving under the influence and carrying a weapon while intoxicated, which were also misdemeanors.

An empty wine bottle was found on the passenger side of Bettison’s car, and three identical bottles were on the ground outside the car, Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy said. Detroit’s police chief visited Bettison in the hospital before collecting the bottles from the crash site, Worthy said. The warden was charged with tampering with evidence, official misconduct and neglect of duty, although a jury acquitted him.

According to his biography, the new interim chief has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wayne State University and a business degree from the Mike Illich School of Business at Wayne State. He is also a graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s School of Police Headquarters and Command, according to his bio.

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