You have to give this guy credit for taking over the Detroit police force. I think he made need to have his head examined. In 24 hours Detroit experienced 13 shootings. One incident occurred after a parent told a child to go home? Detroit is a very violent city and it is financially broke. They have had 115 homicides this year so far. Good luck to you with your new assignment. You are a very brave man.

May 17, 2013 at 1:00 am

Bloody day gives Detroit's new police chief preview of task ahead

• By George Hunter
• The Detroit News
• 1 Comments

James Craig: Detroit's new police chief: The former Detroiter and Cincinnati police chief talks about his priorities in an interview with The Detroit News editorial board.

Detroit — In his first two days back in his hometown, incoming Police Chief James Craig got a taste of what he'll deal with as Detroit's top cop.

Craig, who is stepping down as Cincinnati's police chief in two months to assume command of the Detroit Police Department, arrived in the Motor City on Wednesday — a particularly bloody day in one of the country's most violent cities.

In the 24 hours between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, there were 13 shootings, including an incident in which five people were shot and a 60-year-old woman killed after an argument that started when a parent told another child to go home.

Police say the child returned with a group of people, one or two of whom opened fire.

Craig acknowledged during an interview Thursday with The Detroit News Editorial Board the tough job he'll have fighting crime in such a violent city with a cash-strapped police department.

Craig said he's assessing the department before making any changes.

"I think the department is a good police department," he said. "I think, preliminarily, we may have at certain levels some leadership challenges."

Craig, who officially takes over in July, said he would have gone to the scene of Wednesday's shooting if he officially was on the job.

"The chief needs to be seen at certain crime scenes," he said. "It sends the message to the community that I'm serious about this."

The city has seen 115 homicides as of Thursday — down from 121 during the same period last year.

Craig, who said he has a two-year contract with the city, indicated he'll take a hard look at the department to see if it's top-heavy, as he did when he took over Cincinnati's department two years ago.

He also called Detroit's homicide closure rate of under 50 percent "shameful," and said he would work to increase police response time.

"Why have we not done anything about responding to calls for service? If we can't do it because we're short-staffed … admit that we're screwed up in some ways. Come out and tell everyone. We've got to tell the truth. Then, the dialogue starts with how we fix it."

Although Craig is on vacation from his Cincinnati job, he had a busy workday Thursday, meeting with the media and attending the weekly Board of Police Commissioners meeting before going to a City Council meeting.

The board's chairman, Rev. Jerome Warfield, who spearheaded efforts to find the new chief, said he was impressed with Craig.

"When I first met with him, I understood there was something special about the way he does business," Warfield said.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2134

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130517/METRO01/305170351#ixzz2TXd9HroT