DETROIT (WWJ) — Lt. Brandon Cole, the Detroit police officer at the center of an investigation following remarks he made to a protester outside Huntington Place last Sunday, has been suspended.
Detroit Police Chief James White on Wednesday announced he was briefed on additional facts surrounding the case, leading to Cole's suspension. Cole had previously been placed on administrative duty and was relieved of his duties related to the Mobile Field Force, the unit assigned to monitoring protests and demonstrations.
White and other DPD officials held a press conference Monday announcing an internal investigation was underway after a video showing Cole telling a protester to "go back to Mexico" went viral on social media.
The comment was made Sunday night as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Huntington Place to protest President Joe Biden's visit to Detroit as he spoke at the NAACP Detroit Branch's Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner.
On Monday White said it was believed the protester involved in the incident had "previously communicated personal information" about Cole, including his marital status.
But in a written statement released Wednesday, White said he was "briefed on additional facts that have surfaced, including, but not limited to information that the personal statements made toward Lt. Cole were not made by the protester in question, but by another individual in close proximity, who has yet to be identified."
"Having considered this new information, my concerns over the events of May 19 have worsened," White's statement said. Accordingly, I am exercising my authority as chief of police to suspend Lt. Cole from duty."
White said he will also "promptly" submit a referral to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners to have Cole's pay withheld.
"Despite the hard work of the officers at the event, the recent protest was one of the larger ones we have had to deal with over the past couple of years, which has revealed deficiencies in the operations of the unit. For this reason, the department will be examining the unit's leadership practices, ensuring that officers continue to adhere to this department's policies and training. If warranted, appropriate changes will be made," White's statement concluded.
White said Monday he has high expectations for lieutenants and others in leadership roles within the department.
"My expectation for a lieutenant is that they perform at a high level, that they lead the men and women of this department and that you don't get into that personal engagement so there's no room for someone to misconstrue anything. This is not what we're looking for from our lieutenants and we will deal with that when our investigation is completed," he said at the press conference.
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