Detroit Police chief's contract extended 2 years

Detroit Police Chief James Craig's contract has been extended two years, an agreement Mayor Mike Duggan said came easily in a "rare case" where the community is united in support.

Craig, 58, said he intends to stay here until retirement. When more than 600 people gathered to protest violence after the shooting of a federal judge earlier this year, it made him "humbled and proud" to be part of Detroit, he said.

"This community is resilient, this community is engaged, and this community is about making Detroit a safer city," he said.

The contract announcement Thursday morning drew applause as Craig and Duggan stood with police, union leaders, community leaders and other officials at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters in downtown Detroit. The contract is set to automatically renew each year; if either Craig or the mayor chooses to terminate it, he'll pay the other the term's remaining balance, Duggan announced Thursday.

"I have been so pleased with what I have seen" from Craig, Duggan said. "I am confident that we have the best leader for this department."

Under Craig, the 911 response time has decreased from 37 minutes to 16 minutes, he said. He also said there's more work to be done.

"We have a serious problem with people using guns to settle beefs," Duggan said, adding that serious strategies will be rolled out in the next couple months.

Craig, whose annual salary will remain $225,000, has been with the department since 2013.

Today, he thanked prosecutors and other law enforcement agencies for their cooperation as he works to make Detroit safer.

Police union leaders said they appreciate the chief's openness and willingness to work together.

Craig said cooperation with such groups in the community such as community-activist group Detroit 300 and the Nation of Islam is positive and not something seen in other cities.

Pastor Maurice Hardwick, a local community leader, said Craig is taking the right approach.

"He's reaching out because he realizes he can't arrest his way out of this," he said.

Craig grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cass Technical High School. He became a Detroit police officer in 1977. After being laid off, he went to the Los Angeles Police Department, where he worked for nearly three decades. From there, he became police chief in Portland, Maine, in 2009 and, in 2011, went on to become chief in Cincinnati.

In 2013, Craig told the Free Press he was excited to come back to his hometown. He said he wanted to be the chief "as long as Detroit will have me."

Since arriving, Craig has implemented weekly COMPSTAT meetings to identify crime trends, the department has orchestrated a number of large-scale operations that have netted hundreds of arrests and the recovery of weapons and he has worked to bridge the gap between the police department and the community.

At a news conference in January, Craig said people in the community report that they feel safer. "What I've heard, throughout the year, they've seen change in the police department and our response," he said.

Police reported earlier this year that violent and property crimes, including homicides, non-fatal shootings, robberies, carjackings, burglaries and larcenies, dropped in 2014 from 2013. According to police, there were 300 homicide cases in 2014, down from 332 the year before.

So far this year, homicides are up. As of May 10, Detroit had seen 101 homicides, compared to 81 during the same time in 2014.

Free Press staff writer Jim Schaefer contributed to this report.

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI.