Health

Detroit Police Chief James Craig tests positive for COVID

March 27, 2020, 4:04 PM

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James Craig (Photo: Deadline Detroit)

Detroit Police Chief James Craig has tested positive for coronavirus amid an outbreak that has infected at least 39 members of the department and killed two.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan shared the update in a Friday afternoon news conference. He said Craig's symptoms are mild and that the chief is in fit shape, which will hopefully help his recovery.

Craig has not been hospitalized.

"I feel alright," Craig tells The Detroit News. "A little feverish, but I'm hanging in there."

Craig was born in 1956.

While he's on sick leave, the department will be led by assistant Chief James White, who himself had been quarantined, but tested negative for coronavirus. 

White says he's in constant touch with the chief, who is committed and "locked in" to helping continue to run the department. 

More than 400 officers are quarantined as a result of the outbreak.

"Police precincts are not really desiged to make social distancing easy and it's not really a part of the culture," said Duggan.

He noted that New York City's police department, which is many times the size of DPD and dealing with a more severe outbreak, has 300 confirmed coronavirus cases within its ranks, including in three top brass. 

The Detroit department will begin checking officers for fever at the start of each shift, Duggan said.



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