DETROIT — On Tuesday, Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig announced that he would be accepting the position as the new police chief of Detroit. 

Craig.

Although Craig was offered a salary increase to retain his position in Cincinnati, he declined. Several months ago, he had told a local news outlet that becoming Detroit Police Chief was his “dream job.” Craig is a Detroit native, whose law enforcement career was first launched in the City.  He has said that increasing the morale among police officers in the Detroit Police Department and reducing the City’s violent crime rate are going to be his top priorities. 

In a recent report, Detroit Police Officer Ron Griffin said Craig will have a difficult time improving officer morale, because the Department is limited in resources and very short staffed. 

Craig’s career in law enforcement began in 1977, when he was a police officer in Detroit’s 10th precinct. He has previously held positions as an officer and police executive in Los Angeles, and as chief in Portland, Maine. Craig will continue to work, periodically, in Cincinnati, over the next few weeks, to help lead the transition, before he officially takes the reins fulltime in Detroit.