James Craig executive team.JPG

Detroit Police Chief James Craig announces his new executive management team.

(Gus Burns | MLive Detroit)

Detroit Police Chief James Craig

DETROIT — On the third floor of the Detroit Police Headquarters, Detroit Police Chief James Craig on Tuesday announced his new management team.

"For the first time in recent history, there was a fair and transparent process that was used to select these men and women," Craig said. "Friends and family were not existent in the selection of these new command officers.

"Some of these newly promoted executives would have never had the opportunity to reach these ranks under previous administrations."

Craig's staffing adjustments include the addition of two captain and the elimination of three deputy chief and eight commander positions.

Craig said the department has traditionally been too top heavy, which he wanted to correct, and by doing so achieved salary savings of about $1 million.

Craig individually named off the more than 40 officers who received appointments. They then took their seats around a large U-shaped table with the chief at the center.

"He kind of hit the nail on the head with the friends and family thing," said Shawn Gargolino, who was promoted from a Central District lieutenant to 7th Precinct captain. "I've been trying really had for a really long time to get promoted and for whatever reason it just never happened.

"He saw something in me and my morale is boosted."

Gargolino says the "most important thing" Craig has done since stating as chief in July is appoint James White and Eric Jones as the assistant chiefs.

"They are all business," he said. "They picked the right team."

Many of the 12 precincts over the years have been merged into a district organizational structure, something Craig said he wants to reverse.

He likes the idea of the precincts being spread out throughout the community and being accountable to the residents they serve. in some cases, multiple precincts are housed under in the same district headquarters, but Craig said in cases where it is feasible, the precincts will be separated and operate from their own location closer to the residents.

He is also decentralizing the detective division, including homicide, and sendin investigators back to the precincts to increase their accessibility.

Craig's theory is that when you increase morale, you increase the efficiency of your force.

"That's absolutely true," newly appointed Captain Donna Jarvis. "The officers are excited to come to work again, they're excited to go out and do their jobs again. They'r'e not coming into work with their heads down."

Craig said he is bringing a new era of accountability to the department.

"No more excuses," he said. "The days of, 'I'll get to it' or 'I didn't know' are over.

"This police department will be... one of the top police agencies in this country."