Bisma Parvez | Detroit Free Press

Local and national grassroots groups are calling for accountability into a Detroit Police corruption scandal after an internal investigation into the narcotics unit.

On Jan. 30, seven grassroots groups — Color Of Change, Michigan Liberation, The Advancement Project, The Mass Liberation Project, BYP100 Detroit, We the People - MI, and Detroit Action — announced the creation of a joint coalition to demand transparency from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and the Detroit Police Department.

The coalition was formed after the Detroit Police investigated its narcotics unit and discovered widespread corruption, including planted evidence, lying to prosecutors, robbery, and embezzlement, according to a news release.

However, DPD said Chief James Craig has been transparent from the start.

"The chief is the one who initiated the initial probe," said Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood, media relations specialist.

During a news conference in December, Craig said, "We quickly went and seized documents, case files, forensic imaging of 50 computers. It was important to do so because we wanted to know, 'Is there a pattern?' "

The internal investigation was launched after a 19-year veteran, Michael Mosley, was indicted in federal court for taking $15,000 from a drug dealer. The money was used as a bribe for not pursuing criminal charges.

“Detroit law enforcement, as it stands, is failing the people it claims to serve,” said Malachi Robinson, criminal justice campaign director at Color Of Change. “Racist policing tactics, a lack of accountability, and rampant corruption are not just tearing our communities apart; they’re fueling a national mass incarceration crisis. Today, we are forming this coalition to take Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Chief of Police James Craig to task and to demand fairness, honesty, and transparency in our justice system.”

Worthy said the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is aware that the ongoing investigation has been undertaken by the police department and an outside law enforcement agency.

The coalition is not convinced. They are calling for a full, independent investigation — one that does not involve the police — to understand what went wrong.

“We need to take steps to ensure this does not happen again," said Rai LaNier, Wayne County director at Michigan Liberation. "We are also demanding the public release of records from all felony drug cases, including those filed by this narcotics unit so that there is full transparency around the way these cases were handled.”

Worthy stated that her office is awaiting the finding, and it would be "highly improper" to comment on investigations since they are not complete.

When asked about what impact the investigation might have on current cases, Worthy responded in a statement, “WCPO continues to review narcotics cases. When we have evidence of misconduct, we immediately notify the defense."

"We have recently dismissed two cases involving an officer who was indicted and currently has a pending federal case. When the investigations by DPD and the outside agency are complete we will take swift and appropriate corrective action.”

However, the coalition said that actions uncovered by the investigation have a broader impact on the community by creating mistrust of law enforcement, especially among marginalized groups.

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“We cannot allow the city’s most vulnerable and marginalized citizens to be further subjected to the vigilante policing tactics exhibited by this department,” said Ashley Carter, senior staff attorney at Advancement Project.

To ensure integrity, the coalition demands:

An independent investigation into the accusations, stating that "the police cannot be trusted to investigate themselves."

All information involving the implicated cases in the scandal including the number of cases handled and a timeline of events and internal decisions.

The Wayne County Prosecutor immediately stop prosecuting cases that rely on evidence from the unit.

A list of officers that will be banned from providing evidence and testimony at hearings and trials and dismissing cases — both open and closed — involving the officers named in the scandal.

The appointment of an independent fact-finder.

If an outside investigation does take place, it would likely be Michigan State Police.

"Usually, the only times we become involved in these types of investigations is when the department in question asks us," said Lt. Mike Shaw, MSP public information officer.

Shaw said they would have to be contacted by the county prosecutor or the Michigan Attorney General to investigate the incident.

Craig made it clear that this is a police department-led probe with a simple message to the community: "Even when we find horrible, despicable conduct by members of this organization, we're going to always remain transparent."

"We in this organization have no room for police officers engaging in criminality."

The department launched a hotline for tips that anyone can call if they've been a victim of illegal activity from the police: 313-596-3190.