President Donald Trump has not threatened the city of Detroit with federal agents to curb crime because of the longstanding partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies that already exist, according to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.
In a recent interview on CNN, Mayor Mike Duggan said the Trump administration deserves credit for the increase in the number of federal prosecutors by a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney.
“The federal government has been a huge partner in this (reduction of crime),” Duggan said when asked why Trump has not mentioned Detroit like other cities. “The president appointed Jerome Gorgon, the new U.S. Attorney, who was a career prosecutor himself, and he dramatically ramped up the federal support for gun violence. So, we’ve got the U.S. Attorney, the ATF, the DEA working hand in glove with the Detroit Police Department. It really has been a partnership with the federal government that’s producing these results.”
Duggan’s comments prompted some criticism on social media and in the Detroit Free Press after a headline from a statewide local news website summarized his comments in a headline, “Duggan credits Trump administration for city’s historic crime drop.”
“I did an interview on CNN, which everybody who saw it, saw it accurately, it was a misleading headline,” Duggan told a reporter last month who mentioned his answer to CNN.
The Detroit Police Department’s relationships with federal partners has been long documented, and celebrated by the city and federal government.
Detroit has been a national leader in using federal investments for police work, Neera Tanden, the director of the domestic policy council for former President Biden, said earlier this year prior to Trump’s inauguration.
“With $4.2 million in ARP funding, DPD acquired a police helicopter, and upgraded two others. This new helicopter, equipped with a thermal camera, tracks suspects during high-speed pursuits, allowing police to respond effectively while minimizing risk.”
Public commenters at Detroit City Council’s first session back from summer recess Tuesday asked council members whether a plan exists should the military be deployed to the city, as has happened in Washington DC.
Local and state officials have been preparing for the Pentagon to send troops to Chicago. The Pentagon has been planning a possible National Guard deployment in Chicago, according to national reports. The Washington Post reported last month that the Pentagon has been planning a military deployment in Chicago, in a model that could later be used for other cities.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order last week preventing police from cooperating with federal agents should they be deployed. J.B. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, over the holiday weekend said he is making efforts to stop President Donald Trump “from using the military to invade states.”
“You must address and prepare for troops illegally occupying Detroit,” said public commenter Karen Hammer, who lives in the city’s Green Acres neighborhood. “What’s your plan? You need to prepare the public and proper community police, law enforcement on how to resist. You should prepare for these attacks on the well being of Detroiters because they are surely planned to come.”
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