Detroit Police Department (DPD)

http://bit.ly/DetroitPoliceDepartment

What do they do?

An important responsibility of city government is offering policing and emergency services. Police departments are part of the larger criminal justice system, which also includes courts and prisons. As part of the criminal justice system, police are responsible for enforcing laws, preventing crimes, and conducting investigations. In Detroit, the DPD also works with the Detroit Fire Department (DFD) including its firefighters and emergency medical responders to respond to 911 emergency calls, which are also referred to as calls for service.

How is the department organized?

Under the Chief, Assistant Chief, and Deputy Chief, the Detroit Police Department is divided into 12 different precincts. Each precinct has a Commander and a Captain, who are the top two leaders of the policing in that geography. Following them in rank are: 

  1. Lieutenant 
  2. Sergeant 
  3. Detective 
  4. Corporal 
  5. Police Officer    

The Chief is appointed by the mayor and approved by City Council.

The Police Officers that are assigned to those precincts are responsible for managing crime and responding to crime-related 911 calls within its boundaries. Within each precinct, there are a few Neighborhood Police Officers whose job is to create positive relationships with community members and businesses to address non-emergencies.

While police departments are responsible for enforcing laws, they are regulated by federal, state, and local laws, themselves. In Detroit, the DPD is held accountable by a board, certain offices, and the public. The Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) is an 11-member oversight board that reviews the department’s decisions, including its policies and its budget. Four of the BOPC members are appointed by the mayor, and seven are elected by Detroit voters in each council district. The BOPC reviews and approves the department budget before it goes to the mayor and is the final authority on disciplining police officers. As elected members, they represent the interests of their district. 

Any member of the public can file a complaint against the department or an individual police officer for the BOPC to investigate. The Office of the Chief Investigator (OCI) is responsible for investigating all non-criminal complaints. When the complaint is criminal in nature, the OCI refers the case to the DPD’s Internal Affairs Unit. Check out this BOPC brochure for more information about filing complaints: http://bit.ly/BOPCComplaint

How can I get involved?

There are lots of ways to be involved. If you’re interested in learning more about how the DPD is working in your neighborhood, each precinct has open community meetings. Look here for your precinct and your Neighborhood Police Officer’s contact information: http://bit.ly/DPDPrecincts.

If you’re more interested in learning about how the DPD is making decisions department-wide, all Board of Police Commissioner meetings are open to the public. These meetings also have what’s called a public comment section of the agenda, when anyone in attendance has the opportunity to speak for a few minutes. Check out the DPD website for meeting details: http://bit.ly/BoardofPoliceCommissioners

List of Police Precincts, locations and phone numbers 

For emergencies please call 911. To report a non-emergency crime, call 313-267-4600

Map of the Precincts

Downtown Services
20 Atwater Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 237-2850

2nd Precinct
13530 Lesure Detroit, MI 48227
(313) 596-5200

3rd Precinct
2875 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 596-1909, (313) 596-1908, (313) 596-5300, (313) 596-1984

4th Precinct
4700 W. Fort St. Detroit, MI 48209
(313) 596-5400

5th Precinct
3500 Conner St, Detroit, MI 48215
(313) 596-5500

6th Precinct
11450 Warwick Detroit, MI 48228
(313) 596-5600

7th Precinct
3501 Chene St Detroit, MI 48207
(313) 596-5700

8th Precinct
21555 West McNichols Road Detroit, MI 48219
(313) 596-5800

9th Precinct
11187 Gratiot Detroit, MI 48213
(313) 596-5900

10th Precinct
12000 Livernois Detroit, MI 48206
(313) 596-1000

11th Precinct
5100 Nevada Detroit, MI 48234
(313) 596-1100

12th Precinct
1441 W 7 Mile Detroit, MI 48203
(313) 596-1200