Over 30 police officers in Detroit have reportedly been serving the public without active law enforcement licenses, an oversight that has prompted an investigation and administrative reassignments. The officers, who were hired or rehired between November 2019 and August 2024, were found to be noncompliant with licensing standards after a review by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). MCOLES stipulates that a separated officer's license becomes inactive and a formal request must be submitted by the hiring agency to reactivate the license, a procedural step that the Detroit Police Department appears to have bypassed, CBS News Detroit reports.
As ClickOnDetroit outlines, the 32 affected officers are currently assigned to administrative duties while differences are resolved and the human resources department has been tasked with updating the officers' files to ensure compliance, this situation has raised concerns about the validity of past enforcement actions taken by these officers and could potentially affect previous criminal cases they may have been involved in. Detroit Police Department responded to the issue by stating, "While this matter is under investigation, this appears to be the result of a failure to submit required paperwork to the State of Michigan," emphasizing that there is no indication that the quality of work performed by these officers is in question.
Furthermore, Detroit police confirmed to Detroit Free Press that they were previously unaware of the licensing lapse, and they are cooperating fully with the commission to audit all personnel and ensure proper licensing moving forward. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has also been apprised of the situation, though her office is withholding comments until more information becomes available, a stance also taken by other involved entities awaiting the results of the ongoing inquiry and subsequent actions to rectify the matter.
The licensing issue has raised concerns about the Detroit Police Department. While the MCOLES has pledged to work with the department to resolve licensing discrepancies and conduct an audit, the revelation that officers operated without proper authorizations for an extended period adds complexity to the ongoing conversation about law enforcement credibility and procedural integrity. "Internal auditing and correspondence with MCOLES has revealed that the licensure status of approximately 30 officers is reflected as either 'lapsed' or 'inactive,'" the Detroit Police Department's Media Relations detailed in their correspondence with ClickOnDetroit, committing to a comprehensive review to prevent the recurrence of similar oversights.
