Unless the emergency manager or, eventually, Mayor Mike Duggan craft a way to boost Detroit police pay, the force remains vulnerable to suburban recruiting, Chief James Craig says.
"I don't have the magic wand of [higher] pay," says Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
He spoke about the poaching Tuesday at a briefing covered by Randy Ridley of Fox 2:
"Detroit police officers probably learn to do more in six months than [those at] most departments learn their entire police career." . . .
Craig sounded off on the growing number of police departments recruiting Detroit police officers. Their salaries are the big reason why some people are jumping ship.
"In fact, Wayne State University, the university police agency, makes more money than a Detroit police [officer]. And that's not acceptable," Craig says. . . . "I don't have the magic wand of pay."
Ridley, whose full report is below, looks at the numbers:
Wayne State officers make about $43,000 a year; Detroit officers have to work four years earn that much.
The Fox 2 reporter gets added perspective from Mark Diaz, Detroit police union president:
"We just lost four guys, to my understanding, that went to one of the suburban departments just this past weekend. We're starting guys off at $14 an hour. It's not surprising that the city of Detroit is becoming nothing more than a training ground for suburban departments. . . .
"We're losing guys at an incredible rate."
