By Maureen Feighan
The Detroit News
DETROIT — Former Detroit Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison was sworn in Tuesday as the interim chief of the Detroit Police Department — a career move he described as a natural progression for himself and the city.
“I had to focus on so many different departments,” Bettison said of his role as deputy mayor. “Now, I’m focusing on one department, something I have experience in. So it’s like putting a fish back in water. I can swim.”
Bettison started with the department in 1994 as a patrol officer before rising to the rank of assistant chief when he left the police department to become deputy mayor in 2022 under Mayor Mike Duggan.
In his role as deputy mayor, Bettison assisted with job search efforts for Detroit residents and the “Shot Stoppers” surveillance program.
In his new role as interim chief, Bettison told The Detroit News previously that he has no plans for major changes at the agency. City officials boasted 18% fewer homicides than last year’s total in Detroit through Nov. 5 and 23% fewer nonfatal shootings than the same period in 2023.
Bettison began as interim chief on Monday, which was a holiday when city offices were closed, one day after James White’s last day as chief. White has been named the chief executive of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.
Bettison committed to continue collaborating with the community to keep crime down in Detroit when Duggan introduced him as planned interim police chief on Oct. 25.
Police and public accountability will be key to keeping crime down moving forward, Bettison said at a Tuesday press briefing at the City Clerk’s Office. From policing Detroit neighborhoods to addressing red light runs with traffic stops, he said he plans to keep Detroit safe.
“More resources, more collaboration, more transparency,” Bettison said of his aspirations as interim chief.
Bettison said he wants to become the police chief permanently, but welcomes city officials’ efforts to search for the best candidate possible.
As interim chief, he’s currently focused on keeping Detroit’s public safety goals on track, he said.
That includes creating security plans for the city if the Detroit Lions reach the Super Bowl in New Orleans in 2025, he said. Detroit has occasionally experienced violence after a pro sports team wins a championship, including when a police car was set on fire outside of Tiger Stadium after the Tigers won the World Series in 1984 and at least seven people died and some were critically injured after the Pistons won their second consecutive National Basketball Association championship in 1990.
Bettison said he had taken the lead on similar security measures when Detroit hosted the Super Bowl in February 2006. The Super Bowl was relatively incident free. But the day before Super Bowl IX during celebrations downtown, 24-year-old Kyle Smith was shot dead outside a Woodward Avenue bar, with thousands of people milling around.
“I am ready and on the clock,” Bettison said.
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