(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said Thursday that officers purportedly collaborating with federal immigration agents will be held “accountable,” as the city defends its so-called “welcoming” status.
Bettison made the comments during a hearing with the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners regarding two incidents, one on Dec. 16 and another on Feb. 9, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“Of our officers, 98-99 percent do it the right way each and every day,” Bettison claimed. “But I do have one or two percent that decide to violate our rules, our policies and our procedures, and to those officers, I will hold them accountable.”
A “welcoming city” refers to jurisdictions that do not require officers to investigate a person’s immigration status during routine investigations. By contrast, sanctuary cities refuse to honor ICE detainers and actively decline to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
In the first incident, a Detroit sergeant reportedly called Border Patrol after an officer requested a translation during a traffic stop of a non-English-speaking individual.
Bettison said that Border Patrol determined the person was not a U.S. citizen and detained the individual as a result.
In the second incident, a Detroit officer allegedly contacted Border Patrol while investigating an individual on a felony warrant.
“Border Patrol did respond, and Border Patrol ultimately took this individual,” Bettison said, citing body-worn camera footage reviewed by the DPD.
The commission is set to decide whether to suspend the officers involved ahead of a Feb. 19 hearing.
