Victoria Camille - Candidate for Police Commissioner - District 7

1) Citizen complaints require timely and fair adjudication to build trust. What is your strategy to address this long-standing issue and expedite the resolution process?

Response: I’ll restore public trust by addressing these long-standing concerns as follows:

1) Timely investigations (60 days per Charter). As Commissioner, I will work with my colleagues and staff to use data to determine the average time it takes to complete a thorough citizen complaint investigation; forecast work volumes and staffing needs; set a realistic timeline for resolving the backlog; budget to properly staff OCI; and increase investigative staff through recruiting fairs and internship programs to bridge the gap for applicants lacking investigative background.

2) Fair adjudication/meaningful resolution. As Commissioner, I will partner with my colleagues, staff, and restorative justice experts to revise how OCI dispositions cases. “Preponderance of evidence” is the burden of proof required for Citizen Complaints (like in civil cases), which only requires just over a 50% likelihood that the alleged behavior occurred. Investigators must use all available evidence to determine if the preponderance of evidence supports the allegation. When an officer fails to capture body worn camera footage, that missing evidence should put more weight toward the likelihood that the behavior occurred. I will insist on transparency around sustained allegations, corrective actions, and influences on policy revisions. Even if policy is not broken, we must recognize and address the harm the complainant experienced and use restorative justice principles to repair that harm as much as possible.

2) Binding arbitration, such as under Public Act 312, can influence disciplinary actions. What is your perspective on its impact on effective decision-making within the department?

Response: Police hold a unique position in our municipal infrastructure. Police officers are prohibited from striking because of the public safety role they are assigned. Police are also unique in that, inherent in their training, equipment, and discretionary nature of their authority, they can instantly take a person’s civil liberties and their life. Our current laws and court system currently protect police from repercussions of harming people to the point that they almost have full immunity. Because of the unique nature of policing, discipline and disputes cannot be handled like other lower risk job types. They must be handled in a way that ensures police have the appropriate protection from unfair employment practices, while also protecting the public from harm and repeated harm by officers.

The department and the BOPC must gain and retain the authority to, when appropriate, remove and/or reassign officers that have harmed a person so that they are not able to cause harm again. Binding arbitration currently can overturn such decisions, which can put the public at risk. The department and the BOPC should make the decisions that are in the best interest of the public, despite the risk that an arbitrator may overturn. Then data must be collected to show if the arbitration decisions are driving more harm to the community. If so, that data needs to be used to lobby for legislation and collective bargaining agreement changes.

3) Civilian oversight is essential for accountability, yet recent challenges—like unfilled positions and disqualifications—highlight gaps. For example, in one district, no one filed, and seven candidates were disqualified from various districts. Additionally, five of the districts will not have a primary, as there are only two candidates on the ballot.

How would you strengthen the efficacy of the elected Board of Police Commissioners and ensure robust civilian leadership?

Response: There is a serious education gap in our communities about the BOPC’s existence, its role, and its potential and importance. Public participation in BOPC meetings is low. Until I requested it as the Secretary to the Board in 2023, the City’s website didn’t even publish Police Commissioners in the “It’s All Here" section of the main page where you can get information specific to your address.

The Police Commissioner role is volunteer but requires fulltime hours to do the job justice. That makes the office much less attractive to serious candidates compared to the full-time paid Mayor and City Council seats.

As Commissioner, I will work with my colleagues and staff to launch an aggressive public education campaign including mailings, door-to-door canvassing, email and text blasts, TV and radio, and presentations at high schools, colleges, and block club/neighborhood association meetings.

Once the public is better educated about the BOPC’s role, importance, and potential, I will work with my colleagues to hold focus groups with residents to talk about the barriers to the BOPC reaching its potential, and what actions Commissioners and other residents can take to remove those barriers. That could be petitioning support from the Mayor and City Council, legislation, and/or amendments to the City Charter. Together, with the residents of Detroit, we will build out a roadmap for strengthening civilian oversight of police in Detroit.