Detroit Police Chief Bettison seeks to terminate officers over immigration calls
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Detroit police chief is moving to fire two officers who allegedly contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during routine traffic stops; This violates the department’s policy.
Police Chief Todd Bettison said the officers’ actions led to the arrests and violated longstanding department rules prohibiting involvement in federal immigration enforcement. FOX 2 in Detroit reported.
Not only were the two officers suspended from duty, but Bettison asked the city’s Board of Police Commissioners to approve their terminations.
Bettison said the Detroit Police Department does not participate in immigration enforcement activities and emphasized that maintaining community trust is critical to public safety efforts.
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Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison is trying to terminate two officers accused of violating the department’s immigration policy. (WJBK)
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., supports removing the officers, the station reported.
“Chief Bettison and I agree that we need to make sure our community and our residents trust the people who are trying to keep us safe,” Tlaib said.
Detroit Councilwoman Mary Waters criticized the officers’ actions, arguing that this amounted to biased policing.
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib supports firing two Detroit officers over their immigration enforcement contacts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“The Detroit Police Department has nothing to do with ICE, immigration, any of that,” Waters said. “It’s none of their business. So why would you do that? Just because someone actually has an accent?”
“That’s not what you’re doing. That’s biased policing,” he added. “This is exactly what happened and we will not tolerate this type of behavior towards our city of Detroit residents.”
Retired Detroit Deputy Police Chief Steve Dolunt weighed in on the disciplinary move, telling the station that contacting CBP during routine stops was a clear violation of department policy, but he was unsure whether the termination was consistent with past discipline.
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Detroit’s police chief has moved to terminate two officers who contacted CBP during traffic stops, saying their actions violated department policy. (Fox 2Detroit)
“Contacting Border Patrol? No, that’s against policy,” Dolunt said. “However, much more horrific things have occurred within the police department and people have not been terminated.”
Mayor Mary Sheffield’s administration also reiterated the city’s position in a statement to the station.
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“This administration will reinforce the Detroit Police Department’s long-standing policy not to engage in federal immigration enforcement of any kind,” John Roach, the mayor’s media relations director, told the station.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Detroit Police Department and Sheffield’s office for additional comment.
