The agenda for this meeting can be found here: detroitmi.gov/sites/detroitm…

If you like, it's also up at the @DetDocumenters website here: detroit.documenters.org/documents/agen…

@DetDocumenters As they have no quorum yet, they're starting with the invocation

@DetDocumenters They lost a quorum because a board member left, prompting Chairperson Woods to describe them as "derelict in their duty" not sure what the story is, but I'll try to find out. In the meantime, they're going to hear public comment

@DetDocumenters They took roll and Woods, Bell, Dewaelsche, Moore and Pressley were present and Bernard is expected presently. They approved the minutes and agenda at once

@DetDocumenters The Chief of Police report is being delivered now. Violent crime is down generally, with an 8.2% reduction in all property crimes.

@DetDocumenters Chief White also reported, as has become sadly regular for these reports, that a dead body was found with an ostensibly fatal wound to the head.

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Pressley brought up continuing reports of officers, particularly detectives, failing to keep in regular contact, and even failing to return multiple phone calls to citizens involved in cases.

@DetDocumenters Chief White says the Department is working on this issue and asked the board to help developing strategies to improve the situation. White: "it's not working" regarding DPD returning phone calls

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Burton asked why it took so long for DPD to respond to the recent mass shooting over the Independence Day weekend. White directly contradicted that assertion and said that it is not true that the Department took a long time.

@DetDocumenters Burton asked what went wrong, White responded that "What went wrong was somebody made the choice to shoot... people"

@DetDocumenters Woods also asserted that Burton's claim that it took an hour for DPD to respond was baldly false

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Bernard has arrived

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Smith asked White for an update on the Na'Ziyah Harris. Chief White said an announcement would be made soon, and strongly implied a tragic outcome.

@DetDocumenters Chief White is recommending several officers to the board for promotion

@DetDocumenters The board was going to bundle all the appointments into one vote, but Pressley has asked that those who are being promoted to sergeant be voted on separately

@DetDocumenters They're introducing, approving, and congratulating each officer being promoted.

@DetDocumenters Bernard called some of the appointments "sketchy" but added, to White, "you lead the team, you pick the team"

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Burton removed one of the names from the list of promotions for further discussion

@DetDocumenters They approved all but the one they removed

@DetDocumenters Chief White brought another name for promotion and made very clear he was doing so due to the collective bargaining agreement with the police union, and not because he thinks it's a good idea. He said he has very serious concerns.

@DetDocumenters Thread continues here: https://x.com/NachumDetroit/status/1824178999465218292?t=Wd1zEErPvM4kKVn7W2-t7g&s=19

@DetDocumenters The officer in question has multiple complaints against them including a charge of Conduct Unbecoming as recently as 2020

@DetDocumenters The vote was as follows: Woods no Bernard abstains Bell yes Hernandez no Dewaelsche no Smith no Burton no Moore no Pressley no The motion having failed, the matter will likely go to arbitration

@DetDocumenters Some more recommendations were approved, and two were taken out. The vote for all except those two was: Woods yes Bernard yes Bell yes Hernandez yes DeWalt yes Smith yes Burton abstain Moore abstain Pressley yes

@DetDocumenters White is obviously trying to avoid saying anything explicit about the candidates he did NOT recommend. He is hinting at things however; for example pointing out that an officers conduct at home is as important as his conduct on duty, and other such legally opaque observations

@DetDocumenters Whoops, thread continues here https://x.com/NachumDetroit/status/1824182650162254003?t=mCstKvYaCYHh6E2Nj0TbXA&s=19

@DetDocumenters Both officers that were removed from the list received no motion, and so they automatically fail and will also go to arbitration under the collective bargaining agreement.

@DetDocumenters To be clear, it is likely that these officers will be promoted anyway.

@DetDocumenters You may ask "if a police chief that has no power to deny bad officers' promotions is forced by the police union to present these promotions before a Commission that can do no more than briefly delay those promotions?"

@DetDocumenters "... then what is the point, when it comes to promotions, of the Commission? Or the office of the chief?"

@DetDocumenters You may ask that. You might. That could be a question one might ask, when presented with this scene.

@DetDocumenters The board has moved on to public comment

@DetDocumenters A former Comm'r called in and congratulated the board for at least voting no on some of the promotions

@DetDocumenters The next caller asked the Commission to release the body cam footage from the officers involved in the killing on Sherman Butler detroitnews.com/story/news/loc…

@DetDocumenters The next caller made an identical demand of the Board, namely, that a Commissioner should move to release the footage, and another commissioner should second it

@DetDocumenters The same caller thanked the Board for voting no on an officer's promotion, and said that the DPD keeps hiring suburban officers who have no investment in the community

@DetDocumenters Comm'r Woods moved to release the footage, Burton seconded. Hernandez said they may not have the authority to do this

@DetDocumenters The board is concerned that the DPD has not categorized the killing as an officer-involved shooting in order to exploit a loophole and not release the footage in a timely manner

@DetDocumenters The board voted unanimously to send a letter to Chief White requesting the footage

@DetDocumenters The budget committee is giving an update to the board

@DetDocumenters The committee is recommending several raises in salary for some employees to bring them to parity with other similar employees

@DetDocumenters Burton is holding up the vote on the raises, asking for comprehensive evaluations of each employee's performance. The promotions passed without a roll call.

@DetDocumenters Two separate board members have heard reports of DPD officers harassing people stopped at gas stations and hassling them about guns, specifically CCW holders. DPD Deputy chief said she hasn't heard anything about it

@DetDocumenters Last order of business for the day is a closed session. I'll let you know when they're back

@DetDocumenters They're back, and getting ready to vote

@DetDocumenters The motion failed as follows Woods no Bernard no Hernandez yes DeWalt yes Smith yes Burton abstain Moore no Pressley no

@DetDocumenters Bernard made a motion to authorize a subpoena for the file of an open case. Woods responded that such a motion was premature. Bernard went in to comment on the case, and Woods shut her down

@DetDocumenters Bernard's motion passed without a roll call and the meeting was adjourned at 6:04pm

@DetDocumenters Well folks, this closes my coverage of the Detroit BOPC meeting for August 15th. Learn more about our coverage of local meetings at documenters.org

@DetDocumenters If you believe anything in the coverage today is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line