Detroit Police Post Message Thanking Community For Support

The Detroit Police Department posted a note on its Facebook page Thursday thanking the community for its compassionate reaction to the recent deaths of two officers. With a background picture of a city police honor guard bearing U.S., Michigan and Detroit flags, the message begins “These past few weeks have been especially trying for both out department and our city. We have endured many losses and this, at times, can seem insurmountable. As we continue to move forward and heal we would like our community to know that we are forever appreciative for the amount of support that you all have given us. Your compassion, prayers, and support have been the driving force behind our healing process.”

The message, already shared dozens of times, and now followed by exclusively positive comments, concludes “We will continue the legacy of our fallen brothers and sisters. We will proudly further the mission of the Detroit Police Department, to protect and serve, equipped with the spirit of Detroit and the support of our community.”

In the last three weeks, Detroit lost two officers. Tuesday, a training accident claimed the life of Officer Darren "Lucky" Weathers, who died of injuries at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit after a horrific crash at the intersection of Michigan and Clark. Officer Glenn Doss, Jr, whose father is also a Detroit Police officer, died Jan. 28 after being shot in the head during a domestic disturbance call on Jan. 24.

Both Doss and Weathers were 25 and each had served roughly a year with the department at the times of their deaths, according to the Detroit Police. Across the metroplex, there has been a series of police deaths in recent weeks, including the murder of Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Overall, 50, who was intentionally run down by a 22-year-old Macomb man early Thanksgiving morning.

During a press conference, also available for viewing on the department’s Facebook page, Detroit Police Chief James Craig asked reporters “to remain sensitive,” saying that when reporters ask about an officer’s death and “then start smiling…that’s improper,” Craig added. Craig said he doesn’t object to questions about the training accident that led to Weathers’ crash, but that the investigation hasn’t concluded yet.

When asked about his comment to WJR that “this should not have happened,” Craig clarified that “we shouldn’t train in an uncontrolled environment” like city streets. Craig says he is committed to remaining transparent, but cannot disclose how the police manages surveillance training in general and that police are still looking into the cause of this specific accident, and running an internal probe into the kind of training Weathers was participating in Tuesday. “We do not authorize training in uncontrolled environments,” Craig reiterated. “It’s just too risky.”

Top photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images.