Craig seldom shrinks from a chance to talk to news media
Detroit Police Chief James Craig confirms a Deadline Detroit report that the department's Internal Affairs Unit is investigating a woman's allegation of being sexually assaulted by an 11th Precinct cop.
"We are clearly investigating this matter. In no way have we set it aside," Craig said during a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday.
Charlie LeDuff reported here Tuesday that internal affairs detectives are investigating allegations that a desk sergeant raped a woman after she had come to the station to check on a case.
Citing unnamed sources, LeDuff said the sergeant may have then gone to the woman's house, ostensibly to update her on the status of her case. The woman later reported the alleged sexual assault to police.
Craig offered fewer specifics during the press conference, saying it's unclear how the woman first had contact with the officer, who remains on the job.
Cause for Concern
He said initially the woman filed a complaint against the officer Feb. 15, alleging sexual harassment.
The following day, she made an anonymous call to internal affairs alleging a sexual assault, Craig said, adding that she gave no details. Investigators used caller ID to follow up. They went to her house to check on her well-being because there was reason for concern, according to Craig.
The officers had a brief conversation with her through a second-floor window, but she said she wasn't ready to talk about the case in detail, the chief adds. He says the department has followed up with two registered letters and calls, but have not been able to interview her to get details.
"It's almost like we're harassing the victim," the chief said. "We don't want to do that."
In the meantime, the force is investigating whether the officer violated department policy in the case.
A Troubled Precinct
The 11th Precinct has had its share of problems, but Craig "refutes any notion that the 11th precinct is spiraling out of control."
In November, an undercover drug crew from the neighboring 12th Precinct was forced to the ground at gunpoint by a group of special operations officers from the 11th Precinct who were raiding a house in the same neighborhood and mistook the cops from the 12th for everyday citizens.
Earlier this month, 11th Precinct Commander Timothy Leach was accused of fracturing a man's skull at the St. Patrick's Day parade in Corktown where he was moonlighting as a bouncer at a Michigan Avenue tavern and restaurant without permission. He has since been suspended and demoted.
In the November case, Craig said his department submitted three warrants for review with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which declined to prosecute. He said an administrative investigation continues in the case.
In the case of Leach, Craig said the department just submitted two warrants for review on Wednesday to the prosecutor's office. There was a second officer doing a private security detail with Leach at the time.
Craig declined to get into more details in that case.
