Detroit Police Building Named After Former Sheriff Benny Napoleon

DETROIT — The Detroit Police Department building has been renamed after Benny Napoleon, a former city of Detroit police chief and Wayne County sheriff who died in December 2020 from COVID-19.

The building — which was purchased in 2020 from Focus Hope for $1 million — will be renamed as the Benny N. Napoleon Intelligence and Training Center. The building currently houses the department's Organized Crime and Gang Intelligence Units, while a second building in the site will be renovated into a training facility for officers, the city said.

“Benny Napoleon made an impact on our city and in law enforcement that few will ever match,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said. “While his experience was vast, it was always major crimes – particularly gang-related criminal activity – that he most sought to affect throughout his career at DPD and as Sheriff. Now, future generations of DPD officers will be reminded of his legacy, his contributions to the community, and his commitment to this work every time they step into this building.”

Related: Wayne County Sheriff Dies After Battling Coronavirus

Napoleon first reported that he had tested positive for the coronavirus on Nov. 19, 2020, in a post on his Facebook page.

On Nov. 20, Napoleon's daughter, Tiffani Jackson, posted that her father had been admitted to a local hospital. Napoleon had tested negative for the coronavirus on Nov. 13, according to The Detroit News, but began seeing increased symptoms on Nov. 17. Another test, given on Nov. 19, resulted in a positive result. Napoleon had been placed on a ventilator on Nov. 30, but Jackson continued to say her father was doing well.

Then, on Dec. 17, within an hour from his daughter dispelling rumors of his death on Facebook, Napoleon died.

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Napoleon was an officer with the Detroit Police Department from 1975 to 2001, retiring as chief of police. He was sheriff in Wayne County from 2009-2020.

“I’m honored and thankful that Mayor Duggan and the members of City Council have decided to pay homage to my father in such a grandiose and public manner,” Jackson said this week. “This building would mean the world to him.”