The Board of Police Commissions (BOPC) got a rundown on residency and recruits on Thursday that showed most sworn officers don’t live in the city, and most new police recruits do not look like Detroiters.
Residency not required
A hot topic over the years has been what percentage of police officers are Detroiters. For decades, Detroit had a residency requirement for all city employees, including the police. That went away in 1999 when the state passed legislation outlawing residency requirements.
In January, just 22.5% of the Detroit Police Department’s (DPD) 2,496 sworn officers lived in the city, DPD Human Resources Bureau Director Katrina Patillo told the board. In comparison, most of the 690 civilians (63.3%) who worked in the department — from 911 operators to tow truck drivers — lived in the city in January
Commissioner QuanTez Pressley asked why the resident percentage is low for sworn officers but high for civilians.
Patillo said she is not certain why, but added, “On the civilian side, there are certain points that you can receive that go towards the hiring process if you reside in the city of Detroit.”