Pugh would like 'more leadership from the mayor's office' - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

By Amy Lange
FOX 2 News Reporter

DETROIT -- The sex scandal that forced Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee to retire has so many questioning so much of the city's leadership.  City Council President Charles Pugh, who is still deciding if he's running for mayor, said the city needs better leadership in this time of crisis.

"It would be nice to see more leadership from the mayor's office.  I'm just going to be quite blunt about that.  About this police issue, we should not have waited a week for the mayor to come and say that we're committed to fighting crime," Pugh remarked.  "The Ralph Godbee situation should've been dealt with the day... that news broke.  If I were mayor, I would've been very clear that we have a new interim chief and that crime fighting has not stopped."

Meanwhile, a nationwide search is set to begin for a new chief.

"I think we need to start that process immediately.  It's important that we have stability in the police department," said council member Saunteel Jenkins.

City council members have the final say once the mayor makes a recommendation from a pool of candidates chosen by the police commission.

Now, in addition to the search for a new chief, an investigation is underway into potential misconduct on the part of that former chief, but council is questioning just who should do that investigation.

"If the mayor wants to research or investigate based on the fact that he was his appointee, that's okay, but the official investigation still has to take place with the police commission," Jenkins said.

President Pro-Tem Gary Brown, who was himself with DPD for so many years, said this really needs to be an independent investigation.

"I think that the Board of Police Commissioners should really ask the state attorney general to step in and do the investigation."