Mayor Mike Duggan has chosen Todd Bettison, the interim Detroit police chief, as his pick for the permanent role. This follows the departure of James White last year and a nationwide search, where Bettison was selected from three candidates presented by the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, according to FOX 2 Detroit.

Joel Fitzgerald and Joshua Wallace were top candidates for police chief, with Fitzgerald having experience in multiple cities and Wallace being a veteran of the Chicago Police Department. The selected candidate must meet the criteria outlined by Darryl Woods, Commissioner Chair, who stated, "Our criteria is that this person is focused on constitutional policing, that this person is community-oriented," as reported by CBS News. Bettison, who was chosen, has 27 years of experience with the Detroit Police Department, starting as a patrol officer in 1994. He also served as deputy mayor and holds a criminal justice degree from Wayne State University and a business certificate from the Mike Ilitch School of Business.

Detroit's interim police chief, Bettison, led a 20% drop in the city's homicide rate over the past three months. The City Council will vote on Mayor Duggan's recommendation within 30 days, as mentioned by CBS News. Bettison has shown confidence in becoming the permanent chief, as stated on the podcast "Detroit in Black and White." The council is expected to support his confirmation, as Detroit seeks stable leadership in law enforcement, as stated by Deadline Detroit.