Candidate Profile: Scotty Boman, Detroit Police Commissioner

DETROIT — Voters in Detroit will vote for the city's fourth district police commissioner in November's general elections.

To help readers make informed choices, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Scotty Boman is running against Willie E. Bell for Detroit's fourth district Police Commissioner. Here's how he filled out his profile:

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Age (as of Election Day)

59

Position Sought

Detroit Police Commissioner

Party Affiliation

Non-partisan

Family

Linda, Harry, and Elsa.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

I received my B.S. from Western Michigan University in 1985, with a double major in Physics and Philosophy and a minor in Mathematics. I earned an M.A. in Physics from Western two years later, and an additional graduate degree from Wayne State University in 1999.

Occupation

Professionally, I have been an educator for over 20 years. Currently, I work as a physics and math professor at Wayne County Community College, and as an astronomy and physics instructor at Macomb Community College. I also substitute teach in a few local school districts, including schools in Detroit.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

District 4 Community Advisory Council (2021)

Campaign website

https://detroitlivesmatter.org...

Why are you seeking elective office?

In Detroit, the Board of Police Commissioners is not part of the police department and Commissioners are not law enforcement officers. was established to give people a place they could go (outside the Police Department) to file complaints against abusive police officers.

I seek to streamline the process so that initiating complaints is user friendly and intimidation free. I would also support policy directives to push back against efforts by the police Department and DPD members to use contract technicalities to avoid accountability.

I would also move to suspend the use of facial recognition technology which disproportionately misidentifies African Americans.

I will support resolutions to lift the state ban on employee residency, and (to the extent permitted by law) favor local applicants for contracts.

I will also focus recruiting efforts within Detroit. This will include outreach in Detroit Schools (Traditional public, Charter, and private) and community colleges (Mainly WCCCD which, I know, includes surrounding communities).

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The retention of exceptionally problematic officers. A few rogue officers are costing the city of Detroit Millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements that could have been used to make Detroit a safer place. Even violent criminals have received promotions in the DPD.

According to the Charter the BOPC shall “Act as final authority in imposing or reviewing discipline of employees of the department,” but DPD members and contract negotiators have used dubious agreements to usurp the authority of the BOPC.

In 2020 Corporal Dewayne Jones was promoted to Sergeant in spite of being convicted in the brutal beating of hospital patient Sheldy Smith while on duty. This was after the BOPC exercised its Charter-authorized power to deny promotions. This usurpation was made possible by an abuse of contract law. This must be stopped or the BOPC won’t be able to fulfill its core mission of accountability.

As a matter of policy, the appropriate Detroit Police Department staff must be required to include a clause in all new, or renewed contracts, that “Nothing herein may be construed as permitting violations of the Detroit Charter.” This is needed to put teeth in the BOPC oversight powers.

The BOPC needs to hire an attorney to appeal bad court rulings. It needs to use its regulatory power to prevent the approval of contracts that are designed to bypass its oversight powers and leverage its budget approval powers as well.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I would challenge the status quo. I have the gumption to restrict the use of mistake-prone surveillance technology. I take the oversight role seriously, and will advocate for citizens who fall victim to police misconduct. I will push back against the approval of toxic contracts that are designed to usurp the the oversight process and avoid accountability. I will support using all legal means necessary to protect the BOPC's authority to discipline or dismiss problematic officers.

I seek to streamline the process so that initiating complaints is user friendly and intimidation free. I would also support policy directives to push back against efforts by the police Department and DPD members to use contract technicalities to avoid accountability.

I would also move to suspend the use of facial recognition technology which disproportionately misidentifies African Americans.

I will support resolutions to lift the state ban on employee residency, and (to the extent permitted by law) favor local applicants for contracts.

I don't abuse the Zoom mute feature to silence colleagues when I Chair public meetings (I chair the CAC, Bell chairs the BOPC).

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

In 2019 The Office of the Inspector General concluded, “… that the Board of Police Commissioners is in violation of the Charter and that BOPC, Willie Bell, and Gregory Hicks have abused their authority.”

Also in 2019 Office of Inspector General report found that Bell had violated the Open Meetings Act when un-appointing a board employee. “The Board as a whole, and individually Willie Bell as the former Chair, have neglected their Charter mandated responsibilities,”said the OIG report.

In April of 2019 He violated the Open Meetings Act by organizing secret meetings, with some of the Police Commissioners and high-level staff members of the Detroit Police Department to discuss personnel and business contracts issues.

After DPD Corporal Dewayne Jones brutally beat hospital patient Sheldy Smith, my opponent allowed him to be suspended WITH PAY by failing to vote in favor of a motion to deny pay, and by refusing to allow a fellow commissioner sufficient time to deliberate. This amounted to rewarding an abuser with a paid vacation.

He enabled a direct violation of the Charter by opposing the appeal of the promotion of Dewayne Jones, who had been convicted of assault in the brutal beating of Detroit mother Sheldy Smith.

He served as a one man towing committee in spite of the need for a more inclusive and transparent process. The need to avoid any impropriety (or appearance thereof) has been demonstrated by the recent scandal that lead to search warrants being served on two council members and the confession of another. In 2016 as a Police Commissioner
Bell accepted $500 from the owner of a towing company, while running for State Representative. Then later voted on towing issues.

He routinely exploited the COVID-19 pandemic by taking advantage Zoom to silence opposition voices. This includes using the "mute" feature, dozens of times in meetings since March of 2020, to mute colleagues he disagreed with.

He ignored supported motions he disagreed with.

Before meetings went virtual, he repeatedly violated the Michigan Open Meetings Act by requiring community members to identify themselves as a condition of attendance. He continued to hold meetings in this matter until repeated complaints finally convinced him to have the DPD security checkpoint moved, so members of the public could attend meetings anonymously.

He approved a policy decision to continue using facial recognition technology in spite of it's tendency to misidentify African Americans.

He has obstructed the complaint process. Specifically, the nephew of the late Keneisha Coleman (Died 1997). Wished to complain about possible police mishandling of her homicide investigation. Then the manner of death was suspiciously changed from a homicide to a suicide. Bell has obstructed the nephews effort to have his complaint investigated and the Office of the Chief investigator claims he needs approval "from the police commission" to investigate the complaint.

He voted against a resolution calling on the state of Michigan to allow Detroiters to decide if they will have a residency requirement for Police Officers.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

They the should not have imposed fines, and other penalties, on people who exercised their rights to peaceably assemble. To some extent, courts now agree with me. I believe most of the persons involved had good intentions, but the Federal Bill of Rights and the Michigan Declaration of Rights don't contain an exception for circumstances when contagious diseases are present.

I was happy to see DPD officers handing out PPE's to protesters after the murder of George Floyd.

Virtual meetings were a good alternative to face to face meetings, but they should have left the meetings in gallery mode and not abused the "Mute" feature to silence disenting opinions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The primary purpose of the Board of Police Commissioner is to investigate complaints against police and hold them accountable when appropriate. Return the Board’s focus to that duty.

End No-knock raids unless there is an imminent and credible threat to human life.
Suspend the use of facial recognition technology.

Resist efforts by bad actors to go around the charter.

Restore benefits to retired officers.

Adopt written policies requiring on-duty DPD officers to intervene and ensure that all DPD members obtain training in de-escalation.

Restore the private towing rotation.

Improve response time in undeserved neighborhoods.

End high-speed chases unless there is an imminent and credible threat to human life.
Attract more officers with higher pay.

Reallocate some resources, and reassign mental health calls to mental health professionals.
Propose incentives (like property tax breaks and free land-bank houses) for officers who make Detroit their home.

Hire a parliamentarian and BOPC attorney.

Stop mass surveillance. Only use invasive surveillance technology when there is probable cause.

End the use of exotic crowd control weapons and military style weapons by police.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been attending the BOPC meetings for a few years now and I am confident I understand the process better than most of the current commissioners. I would also thoroughly read documentation before voting on it. Also I am ...

Chairperson of the District 4 Community Advisory Council, and have not needed to mute anyone.

Founder of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO).

Chair of the Civilian Oversight Citizens Focus Group (Advising the Detroit Charter Commission on revisions pertaining to civilian oversight of the Detroit Police Department.

Member of the Fifth Precinct Police Community Relations Council.

Current member and former Vice President of the MEC neighborhood patrol.

I have been a member at large of the MorningSide Community organization since 2013.

I was on the 2013 AFT-2000 election committee, and AFT member in two locals.

Member of the National Action Network.

Member of Detroit People’s Task Force.

Elected to the Wayne State University Student Council in 1999.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am driven by a desire to see people's civil liberties respected. This is my second run for this office. Since 2017 I have dedicated my time to educating members of our community on the roll of the Board of Police Commissioners, and community members have educated me on so much more.

I have walked to every household in this district (often more than once). To apply for a position. I should be willing to speak with the supervisor. In this case every voter (In District 4) is my supervisor.

I was Born and raised in Detroit, and have been a resident of the Morningside Community in District Four for nineteen years.

As a civilian living in Detroit, I have often found the need to seek out assistance from the police. Like many of my neighbors I have been the victim of of break-ins and other crimes. I have also assisted police in their public safety efforts through my local radio patrol, Angels Night patrols, and being eyes and ears on the Detroit River Walk.

I have also been on the receiving end when some police officers strayed from their duty to serve and protect. I am a realist who knows that even the best people have bad days, and that no profession is immune to bad actors.

It is in this spirit that I see the need for a civilian commissioner who can truly be an advocate for concerned civilians who approach the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners with concerns about how police officers are doing their jobs, while being understanding of the herculean challenges faced by law enforcement in Detroit.