George
Hunter
Detroit—Nearly
two dozen Detroit Police officers will be suspended after a routine check of
their driving records revealed they have outstanding warrants for their
arrests.
“Mostly,
these were for parking violations in suburban cities; one or two might be
moving violations,” Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody said.
“None
of these were criminal offenses, but it doesn’t negate the fact that officers
have warrants out for their arrests. We obviously can’t have that.”
A
police source said 23 officers were suspended, but Woody said he isn’t sure of
the exact number. “I know there were several, though,” he said.
“We
can’t have people with suspended licenses driving city-owned vehicles, and we
can’t have officers out there with outstanding arrest warrants.”
The
officers will be suspended with pay until they take care of their legal issues.
“We
have policies in place: Anytime an officer has a warrant against him on this
kind of issue, they’re suspended with pay until they pay the fines or get their
licenses back,” Woody said. “Once that happens, they’ll be brought back to
work.”
Department
officials twice a year run officers’ records to ensure there are no issues, and
a recent check uncovered the arrest warrants, Woody said.
“Some
of these suburban communities don’t play — if you’re one day late paying a parking
fine, they put out an arrest warrant,” Woody said.
“Some
of the officers don’t have warrants, but have had their licenses expired or
suspended.
“These
aren’t felonies, but it’s still an issue that needs addressing.”
If
officers don’t take care of their legal issues, they will be further
disciplined, Woody said.
The
Police Department used to check officers’ driving records quarterly, but
because of reduced manpower, they’ve pared that back to twice a year, Woody
said.
