DETROIT (WWJ) -- The search for Detroit's next police chief has taken an important step forward, as the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday sent Mayor Mike Duggan the names of the three final candidates.
Among the candidates are interim chief James White, former Detroit Police Assistant Chief Robert Dunlap and current Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox.
Commissioners voted 8-2 to advance the three names.
White has been serving as the interim chief for the Detroit Police Department since James Craig stepped down from the role on June 1.
Dunlap has worked as Chief of Jails and Court Operations for the Wayne County Sheriff's office since 2015. He left his role as an assistant chief for DPD in 2008.
Cox, a 30-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, has been Ann Arbor's top cop since July 2019.
During interviews at the board's community meeting Thursday, White said officers must be in touch with the community.
"Community policing is not a concept. We are the community in which we serve," White said. "It's not 'them and us,' it's 'we.' Wearing the badge is an absolute honor and a privilege. It's not a right. So the community in which we serve are part of that right.
White said to be successful, the department needs to have "community buy-in," so he would make sure that is part of the academia in the police academy. He says officers need to be held accountable.
Dunlap, meanwhile, echoed those sentiments, saying an emphasis on the community is crucial.
"The community doesn't care anything about what's on my resume and what all I've done. And neither do the officers or the union," Dunlap said. "What they care about first is "how well do I understand their goals and needs and how will I help them achieve those things?'"
The BOPC hired TJA Staffing Services of Detroit to handle the job posting, collect resumes, vet candidates and provide other services to help the board select five finalists for two interviews. Two other candidates later withdrew from consideration.
A timeline for the hiring has not been announced.
