Chief of Police

                          
                                                   
Appointed to the position of Chief of Police on November 3, 2003, by The Honorable Kwame M. Kilpatrick, Mayor of the City of Detroit, Ella M. Bully-Cummings became the first female police chief for the Detroit Police Department in its 138-year history. Active in law enforcement over the past 29 years, Chief Bully-Cummings joined the Detroit Police Department on July 18, 1977, at the age of 19. She is responsible for the 10th largest police department in the nation which consists of 3,700 sworn and civilian employees and an annual budget of over $414 million. Chief Bully-Cummings is responsible for providing police services to more than 950,000 residents; over 10,000 businesses; and 258 schools in the city of Detroit, which spans 138.7 square miles.

Under her leadership, in 2004, the Detroit Police Department realized the greatest reduction in major crimes in 41 years, and a record reduction of 15.2% in violent crimes. Chief Bully-Cummings attributes this success to having a committed police force and an engaged community—through police interaction, and implementing innovative crime reduction strategies. Chief Bully-Cummings states that holding her command staff accountable greatly increased the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. During her tenure, the Department reduced overtime use by 40%, totaling $8 million.

In 2005, Chief Bully-Cummings reduced the number of police lawsuits filed involving police chases by 25%—by changing the Department’s chase policy; reduced the number of on-duty police accidents by 24%; completed construction of a new state of the art communications center; acquired the 800MHz radios, which are department-issued to each officer; reduced bank robberies by 49%; increased narcotic confiscations by 121% with a street value increase of 60%; and implemented the department’s first Spanish Speaking Academy to enlighten the Hispanic community on the operations of the police department. Additionally, when faced with a $113 million budget reduction that included the layoff of 150 police officers, Chief Bully-Cummings implemented a restructuring plan, which merged 12 precincts into 6 districts, increased the number of police officers on patrol from 64% to 71% through the merger and reallocating officers from desk/administrative functions, and, concurrently, increased the number of police officers available to answer calls for service from 73% to 90%.

In 2006, Chief Bully-Cummings was responsible for coordinating the public safety component for one of the largest event attractions in the world, Super Bowl XL. Detroit received national acclaim for its success. A new Police District (station) became fully operational in February 2006. This is the first police station built in Detroit since 1991. A state of the art armored (ballistic) carrier was purchased for the department’s Special Response Team (SRT) for use during barricaded gunpersons incidents and the execution of high risk violent felony warrants and narcotic raids. Due to her focus on quality narcotic enforcement, she netted nearly $40 million in narcotic confiscations (drugs and proceeds), resulting from four narcotic raids during a three-month period.

Chief Bully-Cummings received a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Public Administration from Madonna University (Detroit), and a Juris Doctor Cum Laude from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in January 1998, and was sworn in to the State Bar of Michigan on May 19, 1998.

Chief Bully-Cummings is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, National Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, Executive Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Board of Directors for the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police. She has received numerous awards from citizen groups, civic organizations and business communities. She is a 2005 recipient of the General Motors and Black Entertainment Television’s “History Maker in the Making” Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Center for Women and Policing.

Last update: March 09, 2007