Tributes to Benny Napoleon, the Wayne County sheriff who died Thursday night at 65, come not only from fellow politicians and law enforcers. Detroit acquaintances and admirers who aren't prominent also post vivid, amusing recollections about the longtime public figure.
These are shared from social media with permission:
Sheriff Napoleon in 2018 (Photo: Stephanie Hume)
'He loved Detroit'
"In 2018, I had the pleasure to sit with the sheriff and talk to him about guns in the city, ways he and the mayor were working to keep the city safe and how much he loved Detroit. This shot [right] was taken as he talked about one of his favorite pastimes in the city: watching the Thanksgiving parade from his office window.
"Detroit lost a champion."
-- Stephanie Hume, photographer, social media manager, web designer
'How fine he was'
This "very Detroit memory" comes from the executive director of Outlier Media, who's currently a John S. Knight Foundation community impact fellow:
I have laughed so much thinking about my mother and how often she said “that fine ass Benny Napoleon”. She couldn’t help herself. If his name came up she was going to mention how fine he was. There was even a (huge) poster of him in our basement. A very Detroit memory.
— Candice Fortman (@Cande313) December 18, 2020
'He seemingly never met a stranger'
"Benny was always gracious when I dealt with him as a reporter; he also listened (some of the time) to my free crisis management advice.
"I most recently interacted with him as the [Kym] Worthy campaign collaborated with his team on a mailer; it was the same smiling Benny: Glad that I was at the table and genuinely interested in how I was doing. He was, as many have noted, consistent, approachable and kind. And as far as I knew, he did not hold a grudge.
"Many of my friends were much closer to Benny, but because he seemingly never met a stranger, he was a friend to most of us. I am thankful for his legacy of service and the impact that he made on so many others."
-- Darci E. McConnell, public relations agency founder and Grosse Pointe Park council member
'Made you feel at ease'
"When Benny Napoleon ran for mayor against Mike Duggan [in 2013], he and his team took a chance on three young crazy-ass dudes with a company called Victory Mobile. We handled a lot of Benny's branding. I directed the development of his logo, his website, his visuals. ...
"I honestly didn't know Benny when I started the campaign. I was just along for the ride, but I remember people always saying 'everybody loves Benny.' One time, I was kicking it in a restaurant with Benny and he went to pay for something and pulled out this wad of cash. I found it hysterical.
"I was like, 'This cool-ass OG with the stack just to pay for a drink.' ... I always think of that when I think of Benny. It's just that cool OG shit we love.
"When we went to his hood to shoot a video in front of his mom's house the whole block came out. He knew all those people by name. In fact, anywhere we went, it was like he was best friends with everyone he talked to. For years after, if Benny saw me on the street he'd say 'what's up?' We had funny little interactions. I was 'that crazy little dude with the ponytail.' ...
"He had the type of joy and calm where you would just forget that this dude is literally the sherriff. He really just made you feel at ease. He brought joy. He brought peace."
-- Eric Thomas, Saga Marketing senior partner and City of Detroit "chief storyteller"
'Benny was a leader ... I will miss'
"When Coleman Young ran the City of Detroit [1974-94], he had a blanket gag order over the entire Detroit Police Department for years. There were two guys I could get to talk to me on the record when I was a young police beat reporter: Executive Deputy Chief Jim Bannon (R.I.P.) and Inspector Benny Napoleon of the gang squad. Bannon was the unofficial department spokesman, so it was his job to talk. Inspector Napoleon, a mid-level supervisor, talked despite command officers above him who were unwilling to stick their necks out in such fashion.
"He had a big heart just like his smile," U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Southwest Detroit posts with this.
"I never asked Benny why he gave me interviews when others were too afraid of the mayor to do likewise. I didn’t want to talk him out of it. But I suspect it was because, even then, Benny was a leader. Leaders answer questions.
"Years later, when Benny became Detroit Police chief, he admitted to me once during an interview that DPD conducted dragnet arrests, which ... are a very large constitutional violation. In those days, the cops used to round up the whole block and bring them down to the homicide section on the fifth floor of 1300 Beaubien and hold them til someone talked. You can't arrest people without suspicion they were involved in the crime. But anyone who watched the department back then knew this was how things operated — for ages. Getting someone to admit it publicly was another thing.
"Benny admitted it publicly and all sorts of controversy followed. A very costly U.S. Justice Department consent decree would soon address this issue and many other problems my colleagues Joe Swickard and David Ashenfelter revealed in their investigations of the department. Benny didn't like the firestorm that followed his comments to me, but it was the right thing to do.
"In more recent years, as he ran for office and held the position of Wayne County sheriff, Benny still took the call, even when it was bad news on the line. I always appreciated that about him. A public servant who isn't afraid to be held accountable is an odd duck these days. I can't speak for every reporter out there, but Benny Napoleon never dodged my questions. His career wasn't without some controversies, but for a guy who was a public servant for four decades he sure gave a lot to the city and to the county. I will miss him."
-- Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press senior news director
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