Detroit Police Chief James Craig (Deadline Detroit file photo)
The Detroit Police Department has a “growing racial problem,” an internal department report released Thursday concludes.
“Simply put, the racism that exist(s) in the department trickles down from command officers to the rank and file,” the report by The Committee on Race and Equality (CORE) said, according to a story by Candice Williams of the Detroit News.
The report cites black officers complaining of discrimination from white superiors and retaliation when the issue of bias was raised, the News reported. It also cited concern for gender and sexual-orientation matters.
CORE began in February 2016 and includes 15 police staff members who gathered their findings through interviews with fellow officers. The Detroit News received the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said “I disagree in part." He said most instances cited in the report were based on what he considered perception, rumors and innuendos.
“I’m not dismissive that there are not race issues or implicit bias that exists,” he said. “It exists everywhere in America. However, we take those issues very seriously...”
