Senate Finalizes Sylvia Santana's Bill to Keep Detroit-Trained, Quality Police Officers in Detroit

LANSING - (June 6, 2023) - Today, the Michigan Senate finalized Senate Bill 32, Sen. Sylvia Santana's (D-Detroit) legislation that would allow the Detroit Police Department (DPD) and other police departments to enter tuition contracts with recruits, enabling the department to better retain talented, well-trained officers. The bill had bipartisan and nearly unanimous support in both the House and Senate throughout the legislative process, and the legislation now heads to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature into law.

"This has been a significant concern for the City of Detroit and its residents for some time, and after six years of hard work and persistence, I am proud to finally be able to deliver this important change," said Sen. Santana. "Passing this law makes financial sense for the department and taxpayers, will keep quality, trained officers in our city, and will not only uphold but improve public safety."

Currently, DPD recruits and trains officers through their very own police academy, which the taxpayers of Detroit pay for, but current state law does not allow the City of Detroit to retain those recruits once they receive their Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification. This means Detroiters pay for training officers that may never work a day in the city.

With SB 32, law enforcement agencies could recruit and pay for training in return for a guaranteed four years of service to the city. If a law enforcement officer wants to leave within those four years, they may have to pay back the city for the training, or the department or agency the officer is transferring to may have to compensate the city. The new law also gives the department some discretion in this decision, and if DPD believes it is in the best interest of everyone, they may waive the payback. If the officer decides to leave law enforcement, there is no requirement to compensate the department for the training