More than 30 Detroit police officers operating without active law enforcement licenses, officials say
(CBS DETROIT) - More than 30 Detroit police officers have been working without active law enforcement officer licenses, according to the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES).
An investigation revealed that the officers were hired between November 2019 and August 2024, and DPD did not request the reactivation of their licenses when they were hired or rehired.
At least 32 officers' licenses are being investigated, according to MCOLES.
"If an officer separates employment for any reason, their license is rendered inactive by operation of law. An agency that wants to reactivate an inactive license is responsible to submit a request to the Commission," MCOLES said in a news release. "The request for reactivation must include an executed oath of office and an attestation by the agency that the individual meets the Commission's licensing standards."
Agencies must perform an audit every January to confirm their staff and report to the commission within three business days throughout the year if an officer is hired, leaves or has their law enforcement authority removed.
MCOLES says state law prohibits officers from exercising law enforcement authority without a license.
In a written statement to CBS News Detroit, DPD says the officers have been assigned to administrative duties pending the investigation.
"While this matter is under investigation, this appears to be the result of a failure to submit required paperwork to the State of Michigan," the department said. "The DPD can confirm that all officers have undergone appropriate training and that Human Resources is working toward updating each member's respective file. At this time, there is no indication that any member of this group was aware of this issue, nor is this oversight indicative of the quality of work each member performs on a day-to-day basis.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says her office was informed of the inactive licenses and asked DPD to submit a list of officers' names.
"I have received some preliminary information from Chief (Todd) Bettison. Once we have all the information we will begin to determine our next steps," Worthy said.