The deputy mayor is expected to be named Detroit’s interim police chief

DETROIT. Mayor Mike Duggan will name deputy mayor and former Detroit Police Director Todd Bettison as the city’s interim police chief, according to a source with knowledge of the change.

Police Chief James White last week was named CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. The chief, who is a licensed mental health therapist, is a 28-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department who was named Detroit’s 43rd police chief in August 2021 after serving as interim chief for two months. White was deputy chief from 2012 until August 2020, when he left to lead the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

City officials said the new interim chief will be announced during a news conference at 12:30 p.m. at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.

Bettison worked for the Detroit Police Department for 27 years before leaving in 2022 to become deputy mayor. He started working in the department in 1994 as a patrol officer, according to his biography on the city’s website, within five years he was promoted to sergeant, and a year later to lieutenant. After leaving the department, he was the first deputy chief.

Since becoming deputy mayor, Bettison has served as Duggan’s point person on community issues, including efforts to find jobs for Detroit residents and “Shot Stoppers” violence intervention program.

In 2007, when he was chief of the police department, Bettison found himself at the center of controversy after crashing an unmarked official vehicle into a utility pole on Detroit’s east side. Bettison, who was off-duty, later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated after originally being charged with driving under the influence and carrying a weapon while intoxicated, which were also misdemeanors.

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, an empty wine bottle was found on the passenger floor of Bettison’s car and three identical bottles were found on the ground in front of the vehicle. Worthy said a Detroit police supervisor visited Bettison at the hospital before removing the bottles from the scene. The superior was charged with tampering with evidence, misconduct in the performance of official duties and neglect of duty, although a jury acquitted him.

The new interim chief holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Wayne State University and a graduate certificate from Wayne State’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, according to his biography. According to his biography, he is also a graduate of Eastern Michigan University’s Police Staff and Command School.

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