James Craig (police chief)
James E. Craig (born 1956) is the former head of the Detroit Police Department. He served in this capacity from 2013 to 2021, after previously serving as chief of the Cincinnati Police Department and Portland Police Department. Early life. Craig was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served as a reserve police officer at the time of the 1967 Detroit riot, when James Craig was in fifth grade. He graduated from Cass Technical High School and joined the Detroit Police Department in 1977. Policing career. Craig  first worked at the Detroit Police Department from 1977 until he was laid off in 1981. He went to Los Angeles to work for the LAPD for nearly three decades. From 2009 to 2011, he was police chief for the Portland Police Department in Portland, Maine. From 2011 to 2013, he was chief of police for the Cincinnati Police Department in Cincinnati, Ohio. During his tenure with the Cincinnati police, the crime rate was its lowest since 2000, though it was part of an overall trend of decreasing crime. Chief of the Detroit Police Department. After he had initially worked  with the Detroit Police Department earlier in his career, Craig had said he wouldn't go back to work for them unless he was offered the role of police chief. He was originally appointed police chief by Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr. He replaced Chester Logan, who had held the position on an interim basis since the previous October when his predecessor, Ralph Godbee, was fired for having sexual relations with a subordinate. He officially took office on July 1, 2013. In his first year as chief, homicide cases made a modest drop from 332 to 300 between the years  2013 and 2014. In early 2014, Craig made national headlines for saying more armed citizens would decrease the crime rate. Craig claimed in 2017 that crime was steadily decreasing since his taking office in 2013, with data from a new software system employed by Detroit showing a 5 percent decrease in violent crime in 2016. The Federal Bureau of Investigation disputed his claim, and suggested violent crime had actually increased 15.7 percent between 2015 and 2016. Craig rejected their assessment. Detroit reported a 19 percent increase in homicide cases in 2020, with non-deadly shootings up 53 percent, though this  was part of a trend of increasing crime nationwide, with homicide cases also rising above 50 percent in cities such as Boston and Chicago. Craig blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the uptick in crime. At times Craig has made headlines by describing people involved in mass shootings in the city as "urban terrorists". In December 2015, Craig said that terrorist are unlikely to attack Detroit because so many residents have concealed carry permits. In January 2016, Craig was designated as Detroit's deputy mayor. As police chief, Craig initiated Project Green Light to provide police live stream of videos to  businesses to better respond to crimes there. He has also initiated programs to cut gang membership and large scale sweeps aimed at finding people with outstanding warrants. In August 2019, Craig responded to controversies surrounding facial recognition software being used to identify criminals. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib tweeted out for the Detroit police to stop using facial recognition, to which Craig invited her to their Real Time Crime Center, where they operate Project Green Light. The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners ruled for the facial recognition policies to be limited to still images of suspects in criminal investigations, which Craig welcomed  and heralded. In the aftermath of the 2020 election in Michigan, Craig said supporters of President Donald Trump who had attempted to push their way into an absentee ballot counting center in Detroit were "peaceful" and contrasted them with a local branch of Black Lives Matter (BLM), who he called "outside agitators" due to the majority of them being white and hailing from the suburbs. 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election. In May 2021, it was reported Craig would be announcing his retirement from the Detroit police. He had previously met with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, chair of the Republican Governors Association , and other Republican officials in talks about a potential run for governor of Michigan in 2022 against Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer. On June 1, 2021, Craig retired after 44 years of service in law enforcement. In July 2021 appearances on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Craig indicated that he was going to run for Governor of Michigan. On September 14, 2021, James Craig attempted to announce his bid for Governor on Belle Isle, but was unable to be heard due to the presence of protestors who surrounded him on the podium, chanting "No justice, no peace, James Craig is still police." He  later made his official announcement atop a former General Motors building in Detroit. During his gubernatorial campaign, Craig sought the endorsement of Donald Trump. Craig called for a "thorough audit" of Michigan's 2020 election results. Personal life. In March 2020, Craig tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Michigan.