Todd Bettison picked as top police chief candidate
The big picture: Bettison is the interim police chief. He also served in the police department for nearly 30 years before becoming deputy mayor in 2022.
He takes over during a time of noteworthy drops in homicides and shootings. City leaders are lauding successful officer recruitment and a community violence intervention (CVI) program that started in 2023, aiming to mediate conflicts, address larger contributors to crime and connect at-risk people with services.
What they're saying: Duggan praised Bettison for his unifying nature and leadership of the city's CVI.
"We needed a way to integrate community violence intervention with the police department in which they weren't at odds with each other, that they were in harmony, and as deputy mayor, (Bettison) is the one who built, now, our nationally recognized CVI program," Duggan said at an announcement Monday.
Dujuan "Zoe" Kennedy of Force Detroit, one of the local groups the city pays to carry out CVI strategies, complimented the success metrics Bettison created for the program and said he's an example of what a chief should be.
Zoom in: Bettison joined DPD in 1994, though he originally wanted to be in the FBI while going to school at Wayne State.
He spoke with an officer who told him about the pay — higher than his young self expected — and that decision changed his life, he said during the announcement.
Catch up quick: The previous police chief, James White, left to become CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, a mental health and substance use services organization.
Detroit's Board of Police Commissioners conducted a required nationwide search, per the Free Press, though those on the board and members of the public advocated for Bettison throughout.
Of the top five candidates, BridgeDetroit reported on lawsuits and misconduct investigations faced by three of them.
The Free Press wrote that Bettison has "largely avoided controversy" since 2007, when he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence while off-duty in a squad car.
Of note: City Council must vote to confirm Bettison before he officially gets the position.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
11 hours ago
- New York Times
Derk Sauer, Champion of Free Press in a New Russia, Dies at 72
Derk Sauer, an idealistic Dutch media magnate who epitomized the lucrative yet brief muckraking days of a Russian free press, died on Thursday at a family home in Zeeland, the Netherlands. He was 72. Mr. Sauer died from injuries he sustained about a month ago in a sailing accident off the Greek island of Corfu, one of his sons, Pjotr Sauer, said. Derk Sauer moved to Russia in 1989 to witness the collapse of the Soviet Union as a crusading left-wing journalist. He ended up tying his life to the country, founding, publishing and managing various publications that reported on, and in turn helped shape, the economic and social freedoms of Russia's freewheeling but violent 1990s. Mr. Sauer, a lifelong socialist, continued to publicly defend these freedoms after President Vladimir V. Putin came to power in 1999 and began dismantling Russia's nascent democracy. 'He kept on defending journalism until his very last breath,' Pjotr Sauer, who writes for The Guardian, said in a phone interview on Friday. Mr. Sauer was fatally wounded while sailing with his wife, Ellen Verbeek, when the boat hit an underwater rock, his son said, describing it as a 'freak accident.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Detroit City Council increases fines for parents whose children break curfew
The Detroit City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to increase fines for parents whose children violate the city's overnight curfew laws. The item was a late addition to Tuesday's city council agenda, but it was one that had been expected. Police Chief Todd A. Bettison also asked in advance for an immediate vote. Six votes were required for it to pass. "The newly approved ordinance aims to help mitigate violent crime and reduce teenage gun violence by increasing adult accountability," the city said in a social media post. The idea of increasing curfew fines was introduced to the community during a July 7 press conference, during which Bettison and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan explained their summer safety teen violence prevention strategy. Some of the violent crimes during the early summer had taken place late at night and/or with the involvement of large groups of people nearby, and police promised to take a strict curfew enforcement approach as a prevention measure. Between July 8 and 20, Detroit police issued 122 curfew violations, writing 68 parental responsibility tickets. The City of Detroit's curfew law — known officially as the "Regulation of Minors in Public Places and Adult Responsibility for Violations" law — has been on the books since the mid-1980s. Anyone age 17 and younger is subject to the overnight curfew order, with those age 15 and younger expected inside at an earlier time. "We don't want to fine anybody, but we have to get parents to take this very seriously," Duggan said earlier this summer. Until now, a first-time offense has resulted in a fine of $75, with a repeat offense resulting in a $100 fine. Fines will now increase for a first-time offense to $250 and for a repeat offense to $500. The Public Health and Safety Standing Committee met for nearly an hour on Monday to discuss the amendment on the fines, voting to send it on to the full council.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Hands Under Scrutiny in New Photos
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New photos of President Donald Trump's hands have led to renewed scrutiny about his health. Posting on social media, users have shared images of Trump during his visit to Europe, saying his hands are "swollen and bruised." Others suggested he was wearing makeup to conceal bruises. Why It Matters Earlier this month, the White House announced that Trump, who became the oldest person sworn in as president at the beginning of his second term, had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), something his doctor described as "benign and common." CVI is a condition in which the veins in the legs are unable to efficiently return blood to the heart. It is not life-threatening. The White House's announcement came after photos of Trump at various events showed swelling in his legs and bruises on his hands, which sparked public scrutiny about his health and fitness. Some have called for the 79-year-old to release his full medical records. President Donald Trump clasps his hands as he speaks with the media during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland on July 28. President Donald Trump clasps his hands as he speaks with the media during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland on July 28. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin What To Know X users weighed in on photos taken of Trump's hands during his recent trip to Scotland, where he met EU leaders. One user posted a video of the president's hands, saying Trump's signs of CVI had been "reportedly covered with makeup." Democratic activist Chris D. Jackson posted an image and added: "Wow. Look at those swollen and bruised hands in this photo from yesterday. Trump is not well." Another user replied, "So bad they're putting makeup on them." Age was a key theme of debate in last year's presidential election, with Trump often criticizing his opponent, then-President Joe Biden, as being too old to lead. Amid the increased scrutiny over Trump's fitness, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The president remains in excellent health." At a news briefing, she said the president's medical team found "no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease" and that he was not experiencing any discomfort related to CVI. Leavitt added that the bruise on his hand was consistent with irritation from "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin." What People Are Saying Sean Barbabella, the president's physician, wrote in a memo: "The president underwent a comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies. Bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70." Dr. Brian Funaki, a leading expert in vascular and interventional radiology at the University of Chicago Medicine, previously told Newsweek: "Generally speaking it is not life-threatening in and of itself, but it can predispose to developing blood clots in the veins in the legs—which, in the worst-case scenario, could break off and migrate to the lungs, causing pulmonary emboli, which can be fatal. This is why some people with this condition are treated with anticoagulation or other means, such as an inferior vena cava filter, which is a device designed to catch migrating blood clots." What Happens Next Though Trump's medical team has said he is in good health, scrutiny over his health is likely to continue.
